Forever
by Claire Thomas
Summary: What if there were flowers from drops of moonlight? Elyse is the last of a short line of women to have the traits of these flowers. Unless she can find a way to break her curse Elyse will get dragged into the snares of a the man who had her mother killed. And she'll probably be dragged there by the soldier she can't help but fall in love with.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Tangled**_**, and I don't even have a share in Walt Disney or DreamWorks— so just enjoy the story and please review. Some people on here just write for the heck of it, but I'm one of those people who, yes enjoy writing, but want to improve.**

**Any questions or comments are appreciated.**

**Oh yeah— this story takes place after Flynn and Rapunzel have been married and are now facing a horrible truth— just thought I'd let you know.**

* * *

><p><em>Once upon a time, in a kingdom not so far away from Rapunzel's own, there was a girl. Well, there were a lot of girls actually, but this story is about one in particular. <em>

_Now we all know the story of how there was a single drop of sun that turned into a flower— but in the neighboring kingdom they had a much bigger problem— a flower that came from a drop of moonlight. In all honesty, the moon must have felt more generous than the sun because it gave the earth seven drops of moonlight._

_Each of these drops turned into a single lunar flower. These flowers granted your inner most wish— by eating one of the petals at midnight on a Full Moon. Oh, and let's not forget the most important part now— the song you would sing to get the flowers favor— for the flower only grants your wish if you sing the special song._

_Flower of the moon_

_Shower me with light_

_Award me one wish_

_Please give me back my life_

_Ease the pains of time_

_Grant the blind their sight_

_Make one find true love_

_Please give me back my life_

_Give back my life_

_Well, each flower had seven petals, and after nearly several centuries of people having their inner most desires granted, only one flower remained. A shepherd boy found the flower, and instead of telling other the location of the final flower he dug up the precious thing and hid it from the prying eyes of the world._

_Using this flower the boy became a handsome man, then he became immortal, then he became King of the not so distant afore mentioned kingdom. Taking on a new name, the man became Alric __Fleischer, so that no one would ever be able to call him a shepherd boy again._

_With just four petals remaining of the moons gift, the King protected them heavily inside the castle, telling his guards to protect what was the most valuable treasure in the kingdom._

_But one day he finds his flower petals missing— stolen and eaten by four poor orphan girls. The king searched and searched for these girls but he never found them— one of them gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, with hair that shone like silver._

_This is her story._

* * *

><p><strong>I just wanted to thank Air-Quiet-Reader for how to improve the song! I mostly write to improve my skills, so when you let me know I've done something awfully confusing or just not well, or even to congratulate me on something I have done well on, I really appreciate it.<br>**


	2. Chapter 1 Memories

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!**

**I thought I would clear up any confusion you might have but trust me when I say that all will be revealed in good time.**

* * *

><p>The black haired girl had been running her whole life. That's all she had ever done— run and run and run— that's all she thought she would ever do in her whole life.<p>

Though at the moment she _was_ crouched behind a rock, hiding from soldiers.

"Find her— whatever it takes." The captain ordered, six of his soldiers who instantly jumped into action, the seventh hung back next to him.

"What did she do?" the young man asked.

"Elyse is a traitor to the kingdom," Captain shrugged then his posture straightened, "It's not my position to wonder why."

The soldier hesitated for a moment, "But what did she do?" the soldier asked again more persistently.

Captain fixed him with a stern look, "Does it really matter as long as you get bread on the table at the end of the day? Now go FIND HER!" then Captain shoved the young man ahead of him and followed after him.

Elyse let out her breath slowly as she slunk out from behind and started to make her way out of the tree lined forest when, "There she is!" rang out from behind her, and once again Elyse was running, her waist length black hair slicking back as she sprinted for the border— a river that marked the end of King Fleischer's Kingdom. Taking a deep breath Elyse dived into the wide river and swam leaving the soldiers on the bank cursing their luck as it started to rain.

* * *

><p>"— go FIND HER!" Captain shouted and shoved Gabriel hard.<p>

There was nothing Gabriel would have liked more than to punch Captain in the mouth, but he was right. They had been chasing this girl for weeks now across cliffs, mountains, and open fields, and had not been able to catch her. After a moment Gabriel turned and saw Elyse— beautiful black hair, heart shaped face, and his heart hammered in his throat— she was the most beautiful and clever girl he had ever seen.

Captain turned to see what Gabriel was looking at and Gabriel nearly grabbed his shoulder to stop him but realized it wasn't any use, Captain had already seen her.

"There she is!" Captain shouted and took off at a breakneck pace after Elyse. With every one of Captain's strides Elyse had to take two just to stay ahead, but it wasn't enough. With every stride Captain was gaining on her.

There, the river— that's what she was heading for. On the other side of it she would be free from them and silently Gabriel prayed that Captain would grab her so they could all just go home and forget about this girl. She had been nothing but trouble messing with the soldiers heads and making them forget what was important. Gabriel had seen her a dozen times during this little escapade to capture her, and not even once had he been able to alert anyone— it had always been someone else to blow the whistle.

Captain and Elyse cleared the trees and were just feet from the river, a monster of a body of water that was a hundred feet wide in some places. Elyse jumped and the Captain grabbed for her; Gabriel's heart leapt as he watched the Captain's hand stretch out.

A small splash followed, and the Captain nearly jumped in after her, but knew that he had been beaten; he couldn't cross the river without being arrested.

Captain whirled around and pointed a finger at Gabriel and yelled angrily, "This is your fault soldier! If you hadn't have stood there gawking we would have had her!" Captain grabbed the front of Gabriel's breastplate and threw him into the river, "Don't come back until you have arrested that Flower!"

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

The water seemed to be rising in waves and I could hardly see to where I was swimming but all I knew was that if I only swam in one direction I would eventually make it to the other side right?

I just forgot about rocks and rapids because it wasn't long until I hit the first of them.

Something brushed my leg and I resisted the urge to turn and see what it was as I swam as hard I possibly could away from it. Soon the rumbling of white rapids filled my ears and my heart pounded my head with blood as I tried to think clearly— but I couldn't hear myself think the water was so loud!

I saw a huge rock and I started to swim desperately. The breath was knocked out of my lungs as I slammed against it. My arms and legs stated flailing as I attempted to breath in some life giving air, but now I was disoriented, unable to tell which direction I should have been swimming, I slipped underwater and was raked across the bottom of the river. Then some dark murky shape struck my head and the river became a muddled blur, becoming dark like the night sky.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

I quickly swam ashore and started to look for the traitor girl. She couldn't be far could she? What if the river had washed her downstream? What then?

_Calm down_, I told myself she really couldn't have made it far by foot, so I would just have to look for her and hope that someone else didn't find her before I did.

After about an hour I still had seen no sign of her. It was only then that I realized that I needed to get rid of my armor— sure it was good protection in a fight but I would stay out of a lot of fights if I didn't look like one of King Fleischer's soldiers. I hid the breastplate, gauntlets, and leg plates in a large oak tree, but kept my shackles hidden in a cloth satchel around my waist.

It was then that I realized that even my shirt had the insignia of a soldier for King Fleischer on it and I realized I would have to leave that behind also. Cursing the decision to pack the shirt I took it off and then walked down along the river it hopes of finding the Flower.

Soon it started to get dark and I realized it would be safer for me to get a fire going and to sleep for the night. Pulling out a hatchet from my belt I felt a moment of nostalgia as I remembered the day my father had given this to me when I was just nine years old.

_I sighed. Mother had me sweeping again. I didn't mind helping out around the house— Father had told me that a real man will always help out a woman who needs his help— I was just confused as to why my fifteen year old sister Jocelyn wasn't helping her this morning._

"_Gabriel?" Jocelyn called softly, her long dark brown hair framing her heart shaped face, and her gentle voice almost like a songbird._

"_Yes Joce?"I called back, my own brown hair falling into my eyes as I looked up from my work._

"_Tell Father I went to the store to buy another chicken— the foxes got a hen last night."_

_I sighed, "Which one?_

_Tears threatened to spill over in Joce's eyes, "The gold colored one you named Rapunzel."_

_I took in a deep breath so I wouldn't cry and held it as I stared at the porch railing. Yeah it was kind of crooked in some places, and yeah the house was a little log cabin but it kept them warm and safe— tears spilled over and I wiped them away. Why couldn't a cabin keep the chickens safe then?_

"_I-I'll tell Father."I promised and Joce nodded, knowing I would want to be alone to mourn my little chicken._

That was the first time I remember that feeling. Not the mourning of death, no, it was the first time I had felt the fire to do something to fix the problem that had caused me so much pain. That day in my boyhood I had tried to use an axe to chop some branches so I could make the chickens their own little log cabin, but my father had stopped me and given me the hatchet to use instead. I'll never forget what he said.


	3. Chapter 2 Flight

**A/N: Thank you guys for reading my story! I just thought I would tell you that I enjoy your criticism as much as your praise, so if you have questions or comments then please feel free to make them know in your reviews. I will answer any questions you might have to the best of my ability.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Son, know your weakness as much as your strength and no one will be able to touch you."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

I felt the wind caress my face, the sound of water lapping against the shore. I could smell the new green grass of spring as the world was turning to summer, feel the sun steadily streaming down onto my back, keeping me warm. I could feel a blanket wrapped around me.

Wait— _what?_

I sat up and looked around wild eyed, but a hand pressed me back down gently, "Whoa!" a honey brown haired woman said worriedly, "Calm down, I won't hurt you I promise!"

"How did you find me?" I asked resting my head back, trying to blink sleepiness from my grey eyes.

The woman shrugged, "It wasn't me— it was my husband, Stephan, but he said he found you stuck on a little rock about a half mile upstream." She looked at my head and clucked disapprovingly, "Didn't anyone teach you not to swim alone?"

"I wasn't."

"Oh, really? Then why did they let you wash up downstream on a rock, hmm?" the woman asked in a reprimanding tone, "Swimming with someone who doesn't care is as bad as swimming alone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I sighed, how was I supposed to explain that I was being chased by a soldier without her wondering if I was a criminal or not?

The woman smiled and held out her hand for me to shake, "I'm Dalia."

I smile and shook her hand, "I'm Elyse. Thank you for helping to save my life."

"You're welcome."

I relaxed for a while more and drank some kind of tea Dalia gave to me. Dalia is so kind— nothing but worry sat in her amber brown eyes, and everything she said was in concern for my safety. I had never felt this much kindness and love from anyone since— my mom.

Mom and I had traveled a lot when I was a kid— mostly because she was a wanted thief and all— but I loved the little bits of the world I got to see when we were on the road. Mom and I had almost been the same; except she couldn't go out in the sunlight or she would lose her gift from the flower petal; but mine was built into my blood. I was born as a Moon Petal, and now I was searching for the girl who had been born the Sun Flower.

_Rapunzel._

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

I woke with a start— I looked around me trying to find what had awoken me on this very still and peaceful morning. It was then I realized that it was summer and the birds were quite. This meant I wasn't alone, there was someone else out there and that sent a hopeful thrill through me— she was close.

While stretching I realized just you uncomfortably I had slept last night, the rain had put out the fire he had eventually made and gotten him soaked to the bone. Thank goodness for those long weeks chasing the Flower through the mountains, now my muscles were used to hard, long days of work. Not to mention I was holding body heat quite nicely despite that I was soaked to the bone.

A branch snapping to my left brought me from my thoughts and I spun in that direction, taking my hatchet from my belt, and crouching ready for a fight.

"Hello there!" a man said holding up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Hello." I said and straightening up and holding out my hand, "Sorry about that, I thought someone was trying to sneak up on me."

The man shook my hand and laughed, "No problem, I'm just glad you didn't throw that thing at me!"

"I'm Gabriel."

"Well Gabriel, I'm Stephan." The man smiled, "Me and my wife were about to have breakfast but I saw you as I was fishing some poor half drowned little girl from the stream, and I came back to invite you to join us."

"Did she have black hair?"

"Yes why?"

"That must be my cousin Elyse!" I lied, and my heart leapt into my chest for joy, I was so close to the Flower that I could practically feel her presence already!

"Then by all means boy, let's hurry!" Stephan insisted happily, leading me closer to the Flower with every step.

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

Dalia was wrapping up a small travel sack for me and I was helping her. A few red apples and a few pieces of wheat bread, but that was all I needed for the three day trip.

"Are you sure, you'll be okay?" Dalia asked me.

"Yes— the man your husband went to go invite for breakfast is trying to kill me." I was glad that I had told her part of the truth earlier.

"Then we ought to hurry." We straightened up, and she pressed some fabric into my hands, "Here."

I held it up— a silver and lavender dress, "I can't take this. You've helped me so much already."

"No, take it I insist." Dalia smiled and shooed me along, "Don't worry I'll tell them you've just gone off to pick a few blackberries from a bush I found earlier to go with breakfast."

"Thank you." I whispered putting the dress in the travel sack and pulling my brown cloak closer around my shoulders as I hurried off through the woods.

I would never forget Dalia as long as I lived.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

When Stephan and I arrived back at the camp, I could see no sign of the flower and my heart sank. I should have known better than to expect that she would still be there when we arrived.

"Where's my cousin?" I asked disheartened thoroughly.

"Cousin?" Stephan's wife asked, "Oh, Elyse. She went off to pick some blackberries for breakfast; I also suspect she's testing her strength a little while she's out there."

"She's such a special girl." I said and sat down at Stephan's insisting.

Stephan nodded his agreement, "She must be for you to have followed her through that storm last night."

After that we sat in silence and ate the food that Dalia had made for us, and some small part of me kept hoping that Elyse would come back with an armful of berries, but I knew how unlikely that was. With every minute she was getting away— I needed to go find the Flower— _now_.

"Thank you for the food, but I should really go see where my cousin has lost herself to this time." I said gratefully as I stood up.

"Are you sure you've gotten your fill?" Stephan's wife asked nicely.

I struggled to keep my eyes from narrowing, "Yes," I helped her stand, "I am quite full."

Stephan offered me one of his shirts, which was much too big, but with some adjustments I would make to it later it would be fine. I thanked them again, shaking their hands, and gave them a farewell.

I would not be duped by this Flower again. I had gone from one of the top soldiers in my company to the outcast who was forced to search alone for redemption— and it was because of that Flower!

Then a thought occurred to me.

Tomorrow night was a full moon. She would not be able to hide as long as I sang the song— glowing silver hair is a dead giveaway in the middle of a dark forest. The only thing I had to do was be close enough to see her hair glow when I sang. I sped up to a near run.

The Flower is as good as mine!

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys I have a question- do you guys want more songs or are you good with the one I have written? I actually have a pretty good song idea in my head along with a pretty big twist- not that I haven't twisted this story already per se.<br>**


	4. Chapter 3 Princess

**A/N: Don't worry, I'm fairly certain this story will have a happy ending— again I just thought I would let you know. I'm still working out the finer details.**

* * *

><p><strong>*Rapunzel*<strong>

I sat in a high backed, surprisingly comfortable chair, thinking. I had done this for about an hour already; sitting in the grand library, full of books with a large dome ceiling and windows that stretched up for forty or so feet; it was the best place in the castle for me to think.

How could I tell Eugene?

How could I tell Eugene that I was pregnant and that the baby very well could have my curse?

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

The road was damp but I found it was still fairly easy to walk along without slipping, so I had been keeping up the same brisk pace since I had left Dalia. It was nearly noon but I didn't bother to stop, I could feel that he was close behind me, and it felt like he was closing the distance.

I held up the pace for five more minutes before I started to run.

I ran up a hill and saw a light up mile up ahead of me— light meant people, and people meant a way to escape— that light became hope to me, and unintentionally I slowed down. This was it. I could be free.

I then sprinted down the hill and ran toward that light; it felt like I was floating rather than running like the devil was on my heels. That feeling ended when something heavy hit my legs, dragging me down. I struggled and flipped over— oh crap.

It was the soldier!

"Now I have you Flower— and this time you aren't going to slip away." He growled, rolling me onto my stomach so he could tie my hands.

I was about to scream when suddenly, his weight disappeared from off of my back and a pair of feet appeared in front of my face. I was lifted up by my arms and set down on my feet, it was then I realized I was surrounded by about five very strong men who looked like they could easily pop off the soldiers head by squeezing their biceps.

One of the men started speaking in a language I didn't know, and the men started laughing. The man gestured to me and to the light, and gave the man nearest me some kind of command. I looked at the soldier who was already tied up and slung over one of the mens shoulders, and the man who had been given the order said something to me in a soothing tone and took my hand gently, leading me towards the light.

Had I really just been saved?

Could I really be that lucky?

Once we got to the light the men tied the soldier up to the back of one of their wagons, and I realized that these people were Gypsies. The light had been a roadside lamp— I really didn't know why the Gypsies put one there but I was glad they had. It felt like a beacon of some kind.

The camp itself was large, with brightly colored red and gold wagons, and lots of purple flags hung in between them with little suns on each of the flags. There must have been at least twenty wagons and each of the wagons had its own little lantern on it.

They sat me down and tried talking to me but all I could do was say I didn't understand what they were saying; I had never seen people so ready to accept someone. They started to say something over and over again, but I still really didn't understand.

The soldier spoke out to them in the same language, and they frowned but they listened, then a woman told the soldier and me something and the soldier nodded to her and said something that sounded like a 'thank you'.

The others instantly held up one of their hands and shouted, looking behind me, "Cristiano!"

I turned my head and looked to see a man with curly black hair and a tan complexion much like most of the camp, but he looked gently and actually looked like a just person— if a person really could look just. It was more like how you can tell a mean spirited person from a person who is kind hearted.

The man gasped and ran to me looking me in the eyes and murmuring, "La mia bambina." he stroked my cheek.

"He says you're his little girl." The soldier said from behind me, and I nearly laughed seeing he still had his hands tied together in front of him, but other than that he was free to walk around.

"My Father?"

Tears rolled down my cheeks onto the man's hand and my throat clenched— my mother had told me a long time ago before she died that my Father had been the son of a Gypsy man, so this man who looked so much like me— he had to be my father.

My Father asked the soldier another question and the soldier nodded and my father wrapped his arms around me and cried. The other Gypsies were hanging back, looking on at the scene with watery eyes and large smiles. I wrapped my arms around Father's neck and cried with him— for so long I had been alone with no one but my own shadow— except the soldier who had chased me.

When Father stood up he shouted something that made the soldier smile widely and made the other Gypsies jump and shout vigorously. The soldier turned to me smiling and laughed, "Your Father said 'let us celebrate the Princess of Gypsies'."

Princess.

I was a _Princess_.

A warm feeling spread through me and I felt like crying with happiness from all that had happened tonight, never stopping until I simply couldn't cry anymore. I belonged among these people— I wasn't just the daughter of an orphan thief, but a Princess of the Gypsies.

The woman, who had spoken to the soldier earlier, spoke again and this time the merriment ceased and Father looked at the soldier with a look of contempt. Father said one sentence and grabbed the soldier's shoulder.

"Wait— what did he say?"

The soldiers voice shook with fear, "I'm being taken to trial for attacking you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I finally came up with a way to answer your questions and comments! Enjoy!**

**zukofan2005: **Thanks for letting me know- I'll try and get another song in soon.

**PampleMousse07: **Yeah, and it gets better let me tell you.**  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 4 Trial

**A/N: hey guys sorry I didn't update recently, fanfiction got sticky on me and wouldn't let me log on— so I decided to write this suspenseful little tidbit just for you guys!**

* * *

><p>I walked behind Father and tugged on the soldier's sleeve, "What do you mean trial?"<p>

"What do you think?" he snapped nervously, "I attacked their Princess— they'll probably drown me in a nearby river."

A young man with hazel eyes and brownish hair, tapped me on the shoulder and took my right hand in his left, kissed it then pointed to himself with his other hand, "Raffaello."

That had to be his name, so I pointed to myself, "Elyse."

Raffaello smiled happily and led me gently over to one of the wagons and said something while gesturing to his eyes, then to the small clearing of wagons. Sunlight from the setting sun streamed down onto the whole scene. Father was sitting on the back of one of those wagons and the soldier was kneeling in between two men who looked as though they would gladly draw and quarter him— without the horses.

I walked forward and I stood next to Father, Raffaello followed me with a nervous look on his face as though standing so close to Father and I at the same time was uncomfortable for him.

Looking at the soldier a thought hit me— I didn't even know his name and my Father was about to put him to death.

"Soldier, what is your name?" I asked my skin prickling slightly; did I want to know the name of the man who had tried to get me killed just an hour prior? I almost wished I hadn't said anything.

He gave me a confused look, "Gabriel."

The name seemed to rub wrong against my nerves, but I nodded and shook off the feeling of foreboding it gave me. I brushed a piece of hair from my eyes trying to look anywhere but at Gabriel— I soon gave up. It seemed if I was going to stand there and let him die, I would have to watch the whole ordeal, a thought which made me shiver.

Father asked Gabriel a few questions, Gabriel responded to them, and I understood none of it except for Gabriel's name. Until Gabriel mentioned my name.

Father asked me a question.

"He says, 'did he hurt you?'" Gabriel translated

"Not so much," I stared Gabriel down until he couldn't meet my eyes anymore, "You were just trying to kill me."

Gabriel talked to Father and the more I listened the more I wished that I could understand— it had just never occurred to me to study this language in those years of hiding mother and I had endured.

Father looked at Gabriel and said something in a harsh tone.

"No!" Gabriel cried, "No, please!"

The men grabbed Gabriel and were dragging him away by the collar of his shirt.

"What?" I asked and started to walk forward, but Raffaello grabbed my arm.

Gabriel didn't respond as the men bent him over a stump and one of them, who had a large scar down his arm, drew a large war axe from his belt and held it over Gabriel's neck aiming.

A sudden thought occurred to me— without Gabriel I wouldn't even be able to speak to my own Father— I would be lost among my own people the very first day I met them. I thought for a moment.

Should I save the man who tried to aid in my death?

I looked at Gabriel, really looked at him as I was deciding. He had a shirt on that was much too big for him, and had a hatchet at his belt, and Gabriel looked as though he could use a bath.

Gabriel turned his head and looked me in the eyes with his blue ones and I saw something there— Gabriel had been running just like me. He knew pain and fear nearly as much as I did; he had been running from something and towards me this whole time. Soldiers who failed to perform their duty to King Fleischer were to be killed or arrested— Gabriel had been running from death just like me.

I walked forward and knelt beside Gabriel and placed my hand on his face, "I forgive you."

Tears brimmed in Gabriel's eyes and Father said something from behind me. Reaching up Gabriel pressed his bound hands to mine and I felt something inside of me melting away. Fear; fear of the man bound and an inch from death sitting in front of me.

"If you will be my translator, and promise not to try and kill me or take me back to be killed, then and only then will I ask them to set you free, that is my deal." I whispered.

"I promise." Gabriel whispered back.

"Let him go." I said to the men and my Father. Gabriel translated this to them, and the men stepped back away from him; the one with the scar put the axe back in his belt.

"He asks why." Gabriel told me when Father gave me a puzzled look accompanied by some more words that I really just couldn't have ever even guessed at.

"Tell him that I have put you through peril and have nearly gotten you killed multiple times," when Gabriel had told Father this I continued, "And I owe you your life because of this— but you are still indebted to me so I see no harm in you teaching me the language as a way to pay that debt."

Father smiled as he listened to this. When Gabriel finished Father stood, drew a knife and cut the ropes binding Gabriel's hands together then looked at me.

Gabriel listened to what Father said, "You will need a bodyguard from me he says."

"Tell him I pick Raffaello." I waved Raffaello over and flexed my arm then pointed for him to do the same, when he did that I saw he was considerably stronger than Gabriel was, "See? He can protect me from Gabriel."

Father understood despite not understanding the words I had used, nodding to Raffaello he said something in a threatening tone then took my hand and shouted something.

"Now we celebrate." Gabriel smiled and followed as my Father led me over to one of the wagons, "This is yours he says— if you need some other clothes than your green dress, let him know."

I went inside the wagon, it was clean and had a few essentials inside like a sleeping cot and a mirror, but mostly it had a smell to it— like some kind of incense had been burned in here recently. I liked it.

I realized that no one had been in this wagon except to clean it for a long time— Father must have been hoping I would come for a long time— that or he just kept an extra wagon around randomly.

I looked into the basket Dalia had given me, which I had amazingly managed to keep with me this entire time and saw the lavender and silver dress she had gifted to me. I quickly slipped into it and brushed my hair with one of the brushes that were beside the mirror. I looked and saw a pitcher of water and a rag— I dipped a corner of the little yellow rag into the clay pitcher and rubbed the dirt off of my face— once I was satisfied that I was clean and ready I stepped back out of the wagon and into the light of the glowing lanterns and the darkening sun.

* * *

><p><strong>sheep1215: <strong>Yeah I did mean to say trial instead of trail- thanks for catching that!

**Mother Knows Best: **Don't worry it should be in the next chapter or two that they meet! I am so sorry I couldn't update sooner, I kept trying to log on but it kept giving me an error sign.

**PampleMousse07: **I knew you guys would kind of guess that would happen but there is so much more, in the next chapter I'm making some big and small reveals so I hope it will be entertaining!

**Hedgi: **That was a great pick up- yes it is Italian! Actually I picked names like Fleischer and Elyse for a reason- Raffaello not so much it just sounded kinda cool!


	6. Chapter 5 Dancing

**A/N: I tried guys! I know it's been a week but I've been bleeding and pouring over how to write this next song, but it just doesn't ever seem right. So instead I kicked my butt and made this most amazing chapter instead.**

***Gabriel***

I sighed and looked over at Raffaello— he looked about twenty years old with brownish hair, he was wearing a dark gold vest with a white shirt underneath, and black pants. Raffaello was about a head taller than me and was much, much stronger than I was— I just knew how to handle myself better than he did.

We stood outside Elyse's wagon in uncomfortable silence for a while, I could feel his animosity towards me, and it made me wonder if I would have to protect Elyse from _him_.

Eventually Raffaello broke the silence, "You pull anything with her and I will kill you," he turned towards me and I saw a burning light in his eyes that took me a minute to realize what it was, "And I will make it so painful you will wish you had never become even a glint in your Father's eye."

I glared back at him and smiled, "The feeling is mutual— oh, and she really isn't into the overprotective type."

He snarled at me for a single moment before we heard the curtain being drawn aside. When I looked I felt my mouth drop open with an almost audible pop— Elyse looked so beautiful— I had never seen a lovelier girl in my whole life. Her velvet black hair hung down in light ringlets down her back, contrasting nicely with the lavender of her dress, the silver around her neck and arms matching her eyes almost perfectly.

Raffaello stepped forward and grabbed her hand helping her down the steps, then twirling her slightly, "Well, it looks like Gabriel won't be the only heartbroken young man tonight will he?"

I translated it for Elyse down to the letter.

Elyse let go of his hand, walked a short ways away towards her Father who was waving her over, then turned and grinned wickedly, "Whatever do you mean?"

Then she just kept on walking.

"You're right you know," I explained to Raffaello, "I _won't_ be the only one."

Then I followed on after her with Raffaello walking right behind me glaring me down the whole way.

I then realized something that actually didn't surprise me all that much.

***Elyse***

Musicians were off to the left playing wooden flutes, lyres, and other stringed and woodwind instruments, that isn't what interested me though. The music they were playing seemed to call to the very marrow of my bones, calling me to go dance and twirl and sing the night away with these people.

My hands waved and clapped over my head as we danced, twirling, jumping, and shouting in unison— I had never felt more alive, the others sang and I listened while the dancers flitted about me in flashes of color and laughter. I sat on a log at the edge of the clearing just to listen to the music for a while. Gabriel sat down next to me and sang the song for me so I would understand it; Gabriel had the most smooth and gentle song voice I had ever heard— which more than made up for his regular know-it-all voice.

_The Princess and her lover_

_Had love for one another_

_They sang to the trees_

_To make them grow_

_Every night the princess did glow_

_And every night she danced with me_

_Quick, quick, make a wishful wish_

_For tomorrow she's gone_

_Sing to her your trusted heart_

_Più fidati e amato_

_In the morning she will part_

_Più fidati e amato_

_Her hair nearly white_

_As the full moon gave light_

_Her lips sparkled red_

_As the grass sang her song_

_Sweet morning sunrise bade her along_

_Filling me with blank morose and dread_

_Quick, quick, make a wishful wish_

_For tomorrow she's gone_

_Sing to her your trusted heart_

_Più fidati e amato_

_In the morning she will part_

_Più fidati e amato_

When Gabriel had finished I looked at him with a newfound admiration, tinged with a lingering feeling of song, "What does _più fidati e amato_, mean?"

"It means 'most trusted and loved'," Gabriel watched the proceedings of the night party in the glowing lantern lights, "You only use it with the one person who you love most in the world— so that is why your Cristiano wrote this song about your Mother, Roxanne." Gabriel studied my reaction to this briefly before continuing, "Back then Roxanne was the Princess with Silver Hair."

"How do you know all this?" I leaned towards him to clearly hear whatever he would tell me.

Gabriel whispered, "After my sister died, I lived with some gypsies from FaLeon." After a very confused look, Gabriel explained further, "That was their name for King Fleischer's kingdom— they taught me the language, customs, and even celebrated some of their traditions with me— even as an outsider I was quite welcome to be there."

I nearly touched his arm in comfort but curled my fingers away from him and placed my right fist on top of the other in my lap, "I'm sorry you're sister died."

Gabriel held his breath for a moment and looked me in the eyes, "Its fine— there wasn't much we could do about Scarlet Fever."

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, when I turned, a boy about my height that had chin length black hair, with hands and feet too big for his body spoke to me calling me, Princess con capelli d'argento. Later Gabriel told me it meant Princess with Silver Hair.

"He's asking you to dance," Gabriel chuckled and nodded to the young man who grabbed my hand, "His name is Adamo, oh and one more thing!" Gabriel touched my shoulder and whispered into my ear, "You will probably end up dancing with every single man in this whole camp."

Adamo twirled me away and I was surprised that a boy who looked about fourteen could dance this well. The other boys, I assumed his friends, whistled in what could have been a wolf whistle kind of way. This made Adamo laugh and say something that sounded like an apology— then I laughed.

Another boy walked up, he looked fifteen and had brown hair with a gentle face, and arms that were stating to develop from hard work, tapping Adamo on the shoulder. Pointing to himself he said, "Guiseppe."

After maybe three hours of dancing with just about everyone, Gabriel tapped the shoulder of the man I was currently dancing with, Cerco, and asked me to dance with him.

Taking my hand gently, my heart jumping to my throat, Gabriel stated to dance with me— I had never felt more hysterical in my life. Desperately trying not to bust up laughing, and to keep my face as blank as possible, I realized I was losing a horrible battle.

Gabriel _really_ couldn't dance.

Gabriel looked at my face and laughed.

"What?" I asked feeling slightly hurt.

He chuckled again, "You're trying so hard not to laugh right now, but it's totally okay," Gabriel laughed again, "I know I can't dance."

So we both laughed, for the first time.

***Rapunzel***

"Eugene?"

"Yes, darling?" a no longer lanky Eugene Fitzherbert called back from his book in his study, "What is it?"

"Well…," I began hesitantly, "I have some good news, and some not so good news."

Eugene sighed, "I only have bad news, so let's get the bad news out of the way first."

"Well… I can't really give my bad news _until_ you know the good news."

Eugene stood up, set his book down and walked over to me, then wrapped his arms around me, "That's perfectly fine."

I wrapped a strand of my brown hair, which was now down past my shoulders, around my index finger, "You first."

Eugene rested his chin on the top of my head before pulling back slightly and looking me in the eyes, "The Stabbington Brothers have fled Corona to King Fleischer's kingdom."

"Is that it?"

"No," Eugene smirked slightly, "The gypsies will be here soon."

"That's _bad_ news?" I laughed, "They always come to the festival and are usually not a bother. They add an opportunity for us to learn about their culture."

"I know I was just joking about it being bad news." Eugene kissed the top of my head, then went back over to his book and picked it up, leaving it closed in his hand, "So what is your good and bad news?"

"Well the good news… the good news... is—," I steeled my nerves and plunged on, "I'm pregnant."

Eugene froze wide eyed for a moment then almost ran over and gave me the most tender hug, "Really?" he pulled back and wiped away some of the tears that were running down my face, "No joke?"

I shook my head, "No joke."

Eugene hugged me harder then let go and whooped, "I've gotta go tell dad!" oh course meaning _my_ dad, but oh well. Eugene grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the study, down the long hall as quick as his conscience would let him.

Every thought of my bad news was completely wiped from both of our minds at the prospective excitement of being parents for the first time.

* * *

><p><strong>Jane Hawthorn:<strong> Thanks for the compliment.

**Hedgi:** I hope you enjoy the song! Oh and did the plot bunnies bless me?

**sheep1215:** Hee hee hee, you only hope that he does keep his promises that well!


	7. Chapter 6 Flowers

**A/N: I hope you guys are ready for the most impossible things— because nothing really is impossible; just remember that as the now possible unfolds.**

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

I suddenly had a warm feeling on my face which woke me up. My grey eyes slowly fluttered open, and I rubbed the sleepiness out of them. Most people when they stay in a new place for the first time usually have an oh-crap-where-am-I moment, but not me; it felt as though I had been here my whole life. The four by ten foot cherry wooded wagon felt like home— then again I had only been in a wagon my whole life with my mother moving from place to place before she died when I was thirteen.

Standing up, I walked over to my mirror like I had done it a thousand times before and began to brush my hair when someone knocked at the back of my wagon.

"Princess con capelli d'argento?" a male voice called out.

"One moment!" I hurriedly brushed my tangled black hair flat, "Come in!"

Raffaello stepped in the sunlight making his brown hair look reddish, which was a good color on him with his hazel eyes and sun tanned skin. One of his hands was behind his back and he smiled at me showing off his nearly straight teeth.

Withdrawing his hand from behind his back he held out a bouquet of flowers. It was set up in circular rows of color— bluebells on the outside, white tulips after that, and in the middle was a single red rose, "For you, Princess con capelli d'argento, a gift from me."

If the flowers didn't have put me in shock, the speaking _my_ language sure did, "Th-thank you, R-Raffaello."

I reached out and took the flowers, and Raffaello smiled even bigger, "It is an honor for me that you accept my gift." He grabbed my hand and kissed it then straightened up, "Your Father wants you to join him for breakfast, half an hour from now."

And the only person to ever give me flowers left my wagon; even though he probably was just standing outside the door.

I smelled the flowers and blushed— a rose? Tulips? And even my favorite flower bluebells? Well he probably didn't know that they were my favorite flower, but it was still nice that he picked them.

A second tentative knock came at the door, "Princess?"

I opened the curtain, "Gabriel? What are you doing here?"

"What?" Gabriel shrugged before stepping past me into the wagon, "A translator can't visit the girl who he's helping?" he found a stool near the foot of the cot, where I never would have found it, and pulled it out sitting down, "So Mister Muscles gave you flowers huh?"

I blushed even deeper, "Well…"

"Well nothing," Gabriel smiled, waving my almost excuse away, "He likes you and you like him too."

"How can you tell that he likes me and it's not because I'm the Princess?"

Gabriel stood up and pulled of the bluebells out of the bouquet, placing it in my hair, "Blue is for peace," he took one of the small tulips and made it into a ring which he put around my pointer finger on my left hand, "White is for purity," then he pulled out the single rose and smelled it, "And a red rose is meant for ones passion for another person— that's how I know he likes you. Everything these people do usually has some sort of symbolism to it."

My heart was hammering in my chest, my be-lilied hand still in Gabriel's, "Even you?"

Gabriel chuckled, turning away from a gay and heading for the door, "I'm not the Gypsy here, so you tell me." He held out his arm for me.

Setting the flowers down and taking off the tulip ring which I set down next to the flowers, I took his arm and started to escort me to my Father when another boy walked up— I believe his name was Jessie and asked me something.

"Will you let him escort you to your Father?" Gabriel asked a sad look in his eyes that I didn't understand.

I shook my head, "N—,"

Raffaello suddenly came up and shooed Jessie away, chasing him off while shaking violently, saying something in a threatening voice.

"Gabriel do I want to know what he said?"

"Not at all."

Raffaello looked Gabriel in the eyes, saying something that sounded eerily like cursing to him, and Gabriel stayed perfectly calm. When Gabriel answered back he calmly let go of my arm then turned to me, "I'll see you in a bit Elyse."

I looked into Gabriel's blue eyes, then at Raffaello's hazel one's, then nodded to Gabriel, "Okay."

Gabriel took the rose— which I had forgotten was in his hand and pressed it into my fingers— then kissed them and left.

Raffaello offered me his arm and I took it, letting him lead me over to Father who held his arms out to me. Father was standing over by what looked to be his wagon, and had a small table set up for three. Dropping Raffaello's arm I ran into Father's arms and hugged him tightly.

"Good morning daughter." Father whispered and I jumped slightly.

My forehead scrunched up angrily, "Is there anyone else that I should know about who speak my same language?"

My Father laughed, and looked behind me to Raffaello, "I see you showed her your surprise?"

"Yeah." Raffaello shrugged and sat down.

"Why didn't you just talk to me before?" I asked, feeling slightly hurt.

Father chuckled and patted my shoulder, "I had to brush up on the language first— turns out it was a much needed brush up too."

We sat down and ate one of the most amazing breakfasts I had ever eaten— apple butter on top of some kind of fluffy yet flat round bread that Father called 'pancakes'.

Never once did I open the hand that held the rose that Gabriel had given me.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

Raffaello snarled at Jessie chasing him off, the next thing I knew he was rounding onto me, which was not the loveliest prospect.

"Just _who_ do you think you are?" Raffaello barked— although he used much, _much_ stronger language, "_She_ is going to breakfast, and you _think_ you can _join_? You were supposed to be over in the grove ten minutes ago!"

"No problem, I'll go right over." I said calmly, even though every inch of me screamed to kick his lights out and dump his helpless self in front of a stampede. Letting go of Elyse's arm, I leaned towards her and whispered in her ear and whispered, "I'll see you in a bit Elyse."

Looking slightly confused, oh man it made her so cute when she was confused, she nodded back, "Okay."

Suddenly I remembered why I had the rose with me and gently placed it in Elyse's hand, kissing her fingers so lightly I barely felt her smooth skin against my lips. Then I walked over to the place that Raffaello had gestured to so nicely after derogatorily mentioning my mother.

It was a quiet little clearing, with green grass, a small little dandelion over off to the right, five young men that all stood over six foot, each with his own sneer, scar on his face, and weapon of some murderous flavor. My former soldier regiment who had watched me be tossed into a river.

"Soldier, did you lose your head?" Captain bristled from behind me and shoved me roughly onto the ground, "Or did the Flower remove it for you?"

* * *

><p><strong>PampleMousse07:<strong> Yes they will meet, but first they have to meet a few other familiar faces.

**Hedgi:** It's a girl by the way- it just seemed right.


	8. Chapter 7 Injury

**A/N: Don't have a heart attack guys— everything **_**does**_** happen for a reason. So please don't die on me because then I would have no one to write for! Please understand, that I write as much as I can— it isn't easy to find too much time from my school schedule— so I will do as much as I can every day to get you this story.**

* * *

><p>Captain was suddenly standing over me and grabbed my shirt, "Listen, soldier!" spit flecked out of his mouth onto my face and shirt but life had taught me not to struggle when one is vulnerable, "There is nothing in this world I want than to just arrest that Flower and have her beheaded— but seeing as she is encompassed by about fifty trained fighters and thieves, we need you."<p>

_When pigs fly_, I thought, but bit it back in my mouth to keep myself from saying it out loud. Captain would gut me and make Elyse clean it before chopping her head off.

"We need you to get her alone—,"

_Not a chance_, my thoughts snarled.

"—and far enough away that we can quietly take her without arousing suspicion."

"Why would I do that?" I growled

Captain made a gesture to the red haired soldier with the crossbow, "Hand me one of those bolts."

Upon receiving the bolt, Captain gripped it hard and racked it across my ribs, blood spilling from the wound and down my side.

"Now go get patched up pretty boy by your lovely little friend, or this crossbow bolt will the last thing that Flower sees before dies— it's the only way you can keep me from making sure it dies from a long slow death.

Dragging me to my feet Captain tossed me over to Barnard— a huge lunkhead of a soldier with a gorilla shaped body, red hair, a huge hammer for a weapon, and missing about half of his yellow tobacco teeth— who then proceeded to knock me upside the head with his boulder of a fist. The pain exploded over and over against my head until my nerve endings went numb, something hot and wet nearly running into my eye, then down my cheek, along the edge of my bottom lip, and finally off my chin.

The other soldier's each gave me a solid kick in the stomach and spat some insult or another.

Traitor.

Flea bitten pecker-head.

Pansy.

_Flower._

At least the last one was new for me.

Captain pulled me up by the hair on the back of my head and looked me square in the eye with a look that he was handling unruly smelly pig, "Now look here Gabriel, I got you this job, now go and remind me why I did that."

Man this guy new all the right buttons to press.

With that he shoved me hard in the direction of the Camp.

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

I don't think I had ever been so happy in my life.

Father sat next to me at our breakfast table talking with his deep, reassuring voice, one of his rough, callused hands that were actually quite gentle were holding one of mine. He was laughing with me at something Raffaello had said about how he had once had a bad encounter with another young man who had gotten a bad case of poison ivy and had given it to him. I heard a few gasps behind me and I turned around.

What I saw nearly made me throw up.

Gabriel was covered with his own blood, with slight discoloration on his face, arms, and my guess was that he had many more on his ribs.

"Gabriel…"

He held up his hand to try and wave me off but nearly fell over from the effort, "D-don't… pl-please…"

I ran to Gabriel's side and tried put his arm around my shoulders to support him, but he pulled away weakly, stumbling and falling over, kneeling I pleaded with him, "Gabriel please let me help you—,"

"No." he groaned, turning his face away from me, passing out from the pain.

I sat Gabriel up, and then motioned to Raffaello who had crouched near me, with concern and some sort of pleasure in his eyes, "Help me move him, please?"

Raffaello grimaced, then smiled and nodded, "Of course, Princess con capelli d'argento."

I smiled at him, "Call me Elyse—," when he was about to object I cut him off, "I insist."

"Of course, Elyse." Raffaello grinned from ear to ear at that, almost happily scooping up Gabriel.

"This way."

When Raffaello saw that I was heading for my wagon, he hesitated.

"I want to tend him personally, but," I put in a fake-fear pause, "would you stay with me?"

Raffaello nearly dropped Gabriel from excitement at the prospect, and inwardly I chastised myself for treating Raffaello like that, but I knew on some level I wanted him there— no matter how small or deep deep down.

Once inside Raffaello laid Gabriel down on my cot, and sat himself on the stool a much healthier Gabriel had sat on just before breakfast. Taking the water jug and rag from near the mirror I placed them on the floor, dropped in the rag, and took the hatchet from Gabriel's belt. Using it to cut off the cloth around Gabriel's injuries, I placed the unneeded cloth on the floor along with the hatchet then took a closer look at Gabriel's wounds.

"It looks like a crossbow bolt made this." I murmured softly to Raffaello.

He leaned closer, skeptical, "How can you tell?"

"I—," the memory of Mother, clutching her side in pain, as a bolt grazed her, and then screaming as a second struck her in the back, flashed into my mind, "I just can."

Raffaello shrugged, oblivious to the pain in my eyes, then sat back again, merely happy to be a constant presence and 'needed' by me.

I spent several careful hours by Gabriel's side before he even batted an eyelash, and when he did I lost no time, "Quick, Raffaello. Take the jug and fill it with clean water— he's going to bleed more also so please get some clean cloth for him to be bandaged."

Raffaello nodded, patting my shoulder hoping it would comfort me, and then quickly leaving the silent and solemn place.

Gabriel moaned and with the absence of Raffaello, I gently stroked his face, hoping to comfort him some, "Please be still."

Gabriel opened his eyes, and began to cry, "No…" I reached out to comfort him some more, but he grabbed my wrist weakly, "I'm dangerous… you… you shouldn't be—"

"Shh," I murmured soothingly, "Right now you could hardly hurt me if you wanted to."

"You…"

"Shhh, Gabriel, I won't leave your side." I whispered, stoking his dark brown hair from his face, "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>sukofan2005:<strong> Well now you know what happens after chapter 6!

**Mirror's Mirage:** I'm sorry that cliffhanger _was_ cruel- but these things do happen in the writing world!

**PampleMousse07:** actually, I don't like Raffaello all that much either but he could save her from a lot of trouble later on, that Gabriel will inevitably force her into.


	9. Chapter 8 Più fidati e amato

**A/N: Wow! Nearly fifty reviews! Thanks for your insight guys— you don't know how much I enjoy reading your reviews!**

**P.S: I have good news! This story really **_**does**_** have a happy ending! I wasn't sure but now I'm positive!**

* * *

><p>I stayed with Gabriel through lunch, refusing to leave or even move away from him. I had never seen him so vulnerable, so weak and dependent on a person.<p>

Not that I had know him long or anything.

During those long weeks of being chased through FaLeon, the glimpses I did have of Gabriel weren't as an underdog or the antagonist. Gabriel was strong, even though the other soldiers looked like they ate raw meat and had been dropped on their heads a couple of times, Gabriel being the smallest soldier there hadn't been picked on. In fact a few looked at him with a sort of jealousy and I was dying to know why.

At the moment, Raffaello was out eating his lunch, and I had to fight off the urge to wake up Gabriel and ask him some of my million questions I had been dying to ask— but he continued to sleep peacefully, and I continued to remain silently stroking his face.

Then I got to thinking, what if I only had one question to ask? Would it be important to ask his favorite color, or how he joined King Fleischer's—

Then I realized something terrible; none of the gypsies had crossbows— only long bows.

It had been another soldier who hurt Gabriel.

_That's why he's dangerous._

Panic rushed up inside me like a stampede. They were close by— close enough to really hurt Gabriel— I had to run, I had to get out of here, far away were no one would find me again. I had to hide somewhere where I would never be able to come across another human being for hundreds of years. Gabriel would be safe if I ran. I looked at my hand frozen in mid stroke on Gabriel's chin, then at his face. Could it be possible for me to stay for Gabriel?

No.

Gabriel was intriguing, handsome, strong, and an amazing singer, but he also was the man who tried to kill me two days ago— _I am not a suicidal person_, I told myself.

With that I stood and quickly left the wagon— staying with Gabriel was fine, just until it meant dying, and then I had a small little issue— I wasn't sure that I _could_ die for Gabriel.

Taking my cloak off of the peg that was just outside the cloth partition at the back of the wagon and wrapped it around my shoulders. I was leaving Gabriel, my Father— who had done nothing to deserve such heartache from Mother and I— and I was leaving behind my identity as Princess of the Gypsies.

Where would I go from here? In my panic, my only thought was to get to Rapunzel, the Princess of Corona. This was her kingdom and she was the only person on this earth who could help me at the moment— if my gift was gone, they would have no reason to chase me, and I could come back to Father then.

I walked through some brush to avoid being spotted, and stepped carefully out onto the road. Listening for a moment I heard a wagon coming up the road— when I opened my eyes I saw it was a gypsy wagon, with a familiar brown haired young woman sitting next to a burly black haired man.

When the wagon stopped, Dalia jumped down off of the purple wagon, and hugged me until I couldn't breathe, "You're alive! I was so worried about you when that soldier took off after you!"

"Oh, he's not after me anymore." I lied, but smiled and returned her hug.

"What happened? Oh, you must tell Stephan— my husband over there driving the wagon— you must tell us everything!"

I tried to protest, but Dalia wouldn't take no for an answer and when I looked for help from Stephan, he only smiled a quiet smile and shrugged. Giving in, I walked back into camp and Raffaello spotted me, his shoulder's sagging with relief.

"I thought you had gotten lost, trying to stretch your legs or something, Princess con capelli d'argento!"

Dalia gave me an incredulous look and I merely gave a shy smile, "I'm Cristiano's daughter."

Stephan cried out happily and clasped me into a hug so tight, made me feel as though I had two full grown boa constrictors wrapping around my ribs, "La principessa!"

No one had to tell me what that meant.

"You're the Princess with Silver Hair?" Dalia asked, still in shock peeling me from Stephan and looking me over intently.

"Well, I'm the second one anyway."

Dalia laughed, "Oh Elyse! Stephan has told me much about your Mother and Father— Stephan had your Father be the best man at our wedding! They are such good friends."

I was thoroughly shocked into silence; these kind people who had helped me escape death had know my Mother and my Father— maybe they could tell me some things about them— maybe they could really confirm Cristiano was my Father.

I had accepted Cristiano as my Father mostly because I had dreamed of having a Father my whole life. Mother had given me hints to what he looked like or who he was, but she had absolutely refused to tell me everything. Because of this I had always assumed Father would be tall, strong, and some sort of daring hero that would find us, scoop us into his arms and cry with us about how much it had hurt to be away for so long.

I had found all of that in Cristiano.

Cristiano had scooped me into his arms and had brought me into this Gypsy world where I was Royalty. Cristiano was kind and gentle, yet he was a lover of justice and punishing those who have done wrong, he had cried when he saw me. He had known me even before I had know him— how he had recognized me, even though he hadn't seen me since I was six months old still puzzled me— I had planned to ask him soon; but then soldiers had come along to find Gabriel.

Several women in the encampment ran up to Dalia and greeted her with many kisses, hugs, and a lot 'I missed you's'. Some of the men saluted Stephan and he saluted them back or gave them a courteous nod.

"Stephan!"

I turned to see my Father quickly making his way over, then clapping Stephan on the back.

"It has been much too long Cristiano!"

"Oh, old friend, I could not agree more." Father grinned then turned to Dalia, "Dear, sweet, Dalia. I suppose you are doing well?"

"Yes, of course I am— except you never mentioned in a letter that your daughter had made it back." Dalia said in a mock reprimanding tone.

Cristiano faked being taken aback, "Why Dalia, I've only had Elyse back for a few days— and speaking of letters, when would you have written me that you were coming?"

This made Dalia blush from embarrassment, "Stephan told me to keep it a secret."

I looked on at their conversation and drew away from the crowd some— it seemed that there was no way I would get away now— with Dalia wanting to know absolutely everything that had happened since I saw her last, I would never be able to leave without being followed.

Sighing I returned to the wagon to take care of Gabriel— the most dangerous person in my little world. It wouldn't be long before he would wake up, and I at least wanted to be there when he could talk coherently to me.

I heard Raffaello following me but it didn't bother me. I really did need him if I was going to be in some small enclosed space with the man who had led the bloodhounds to me.

Kneeling beside Gabriel, I resumed stroking his face and wondering why had he broken his promise? I had given Gabriel a chance at life again when the executioner had been about to behead him; and yet here Gabriel was, leading soldiers to come and kill me once again.

A thought occurred to me— what if I pretended to play along?

I could put Gabriel and the other soldiers into a trap. I wouldn't even have to leave the Gypsy encampment.

A knock on the wagon drew me out of my reverie, and Father pulled back the curtains, "Elyse, it is time for you to pick your horse."

Horse? "What are you talking about Father?"

"You will need a horse to pull this wagon as we travel to the island of Corona for the festival." Father explained and held out his hand for me.

So I followed him through the camp. Many Gypsies were smiling and waving at us as we passed by and Father would wave and great them enthusiastically.

After a few minutes we came to a coral area with what looked to be maybe fifty horses of different sizes and shapes— there were even a few foals, baby horses, which were prancing around next to their momma's.

"How do I pick?" I whispered nervously to Father.

"Well, the men will go and catch the adult horses that don't belong to anyone yet, and then you will pick from among them." Father explained patting me tenderly on the back.

I watched as the men brought out a dark brown horse that had gold peeking through its coat when the sun hit it, then a chestnut with wild looking eyes, a red gold horse with a white mane and tail who strutted like a king in new robes, a fat grey horse who had a lazy look in his eyes, a brown who plodded along quietly and obediently, and then a black horse who had what looked like a white patch on his hump with spots freckled on the white patch. This horse neighed and pranced along like he was the most important horse in the world.

"Who is he?" I asked instantly feeling captivated by this cocky black horse's charm.

"Barbaro." Father laughed, "He is in fact the right horse for you should you choose him— he has a tendency to be spirited and to wander."

I looked at my Father who gave me a quick wink and I knew that he knew I had tried to run, "Oh… of course."

Father walked up to the spirited stallion and patted him affectionately, "Is he your choice?"

I looked Barbaro over scrutinizingly once more, noting the white little snip of fur on his coal black nose, and the lively yet tame look in his blue eyes. His straight and strong black legs and his glossy coat that shone blue-black in the sun, his bluish hooves that looked dainty and like weapons at the same time— Barbaro was perfect.

Nodding I joined my Father next to Barbaro and stroked his shoulder, "I've never owned a horse before."

Father laughed, "Well then this will be interesting for you."

After a few jealous looks and many congratulations, I had made it back to my wagon. It was going to be a very long rest of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

I heard Elyse come into the wagon and I opened my eyes, groaning from the pins and needles feeling in my ribs and face. Rushing to my side Elyse knelt and stroked my face.

"I'm sorry Father needed me for something, I didn't mean to leave." But I could see something in her eyes— she was lying.

Raffaello wasn't here so I got up the courage to talk, "Elyse?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." I whispered, "I thought I was a goner for a while when my head started swelling to the size of a watermelon, but I kept feeling your hand on my face, and knew that as long as it was there I was fine."

Elyse sat back and laid her hand gently on my arm— she had never had the courage to do this before. I thought back to the dance when I had told her about living with the Gypsies and about Jocelyn's death. She had reached out to comfort me but had shied away at the last second. Now I felt the light pressure of her cold smooth white hand on my arm and closed my eyes. I know I had been sleeping for so long, but I was still _so_ tired.

I heard Elyse humming the song I had sung for her the night of the dance, then whispering the words— I couldn't be sure if they were for herself or for me.

_The Princess and her lover_

_Had love for one another_

_They sang to the trees_

_To make them grow_

_Every night the princess did glow_

_And every night she danced with me_

_Quick, quick, make a wishful wish_

_For tomorrow she's gone_

_Sing to her your trusted heart_

_Più fidati e amato_

_In the morning she will part_

_Più fidati e amato_

_Her hair nearly white_

_As the full moon gave light_

_Her lips sparkled red_

_As the grass sang her song_

_Sweet morning sunrise bade her along_

_Filling me with blank morose and dread_

_Quick, quick, make a wishful wish_

_For tomorrow she's gone_

_Sing to her your trusted heart_

_Più fidati e amato_

_In the morning she will part_

_Più fidati e amato_

When Elyse had finished her quiet song I heard one last whispered thing, as Elyse tenderly stroked my face "Are you my Più fidati e amato?"

* * *

><p><strong>zukofan2005:<strong> Well Gabriel kinda brought it on himself- the soldiers counted on him and he kinda let them down.

**Jane Hawthorn:** Her staying is not a permanent thing though.

**sheep1215:** In the next chapter I promise! Oh and as a comfort Gabriel makes it all the way to the end- no worries!

**PampleMousse07:** Oh course Gabriel lives! What kind of story would this be without him?

**GhibliGirl91:** Thanks for the advice! I hope this chapter helps a little more with the Father-Daughter thing.


	10. Chapter 9 First Meeting

**A/N: Sorry, life has been hectic lately, with all the drama of the outside world. I promised that this chapter would be special— so I present to you— Rapunzel meets Elyse!**

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

I was currently in the middle of changing Gabriel's bandages when Cristiano, who was my Father— except I had no actual proof and neither did he— burst into my wagon yelling happily about hurrying or I would miss the Festival.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Elyse." Father chastised, "Princess Rapunzel's Festival that they have every year in Corona!"

I chuckled at how exasperated and excited he sounded, "Well all right, I'll hurry."

Father left, hardly drawing the curtains closed as he did so, a ray of golden sun peeking through.

It was strange to me how even adults could act like children sometimes when they were happy about something. Mother had talked to me once about visiting Corona in our travels— she had called it that before I knew that we were actually in hiding— she had been even more excited than Father had been just a moment ago. Even though we had ended up not going anyways.

Gabriel, who had been awake for most of the conversation, blew his brown bangs out of his eyes, "So…,"

"So?"

He studied me with his soft blue eyes while I finished bandaging him, and continued to do so until I met his gaze, "Anymore flowers?"

I glanced at the vase by my mirror, full of blooming tulips, bluebells, and purple and pink pansies, "Yes."

"Well no need to be vague." Gabriel scoffed jokingly as he was facing away from the flowers so I could bandage him, but at the same time only able to see the wall in front of him, "What colors?"

I gave him a mockingly stern look, "What has a boy need of flowers?"

Gabriel was silent and thoughtful for a moment, "I'm just keeping my eye on the most beautiful, black haired, grey eyed Flower— making sure none of the other flowers outshine this humble Lion's Paw."

I cracked a smile, "You're a Marigold, huh?"

"Of course," Gabriel snickered, "It's the only flower that can't dance."

We laughed and I listened to his, which was sort of a quiet gravely sound that reminded me of rapids and flute music at the same time.

Standing up I walked to the back of the wagon then looked back at him our eyes meeting briefly and despite what I knew about him my heart squeezed in my chest, "You're going to be okay?"

"Don't worry, Elyse." Gabriel smiled softly, "I am way more than okay."

I turned quickly and closed the curtains behind me, blushing deeply and hoping he hadn't seen. _What's wrong with me?_ I asked myself. I knew that Gabriel was having direct contact with the people who wanted me dead but I was still… what? Did I like him?

_Yes_, my conscious whispered.

Great. Here I was, finally found my family and I'm falling in like with the guy who will more than likely get me killed. Just great.

Raffaello suddenly appeared at my side, his hulking shadow interrupting my internal conflict, "Elyse, are you okay?"

I turned to him still quite flushed about Gabriel and liking him, and then brushed my hair from my face, "I'm perfectly fine don't worry."

Raffaello seemed to think my blushing and nervousness was caused by him because he leaned towards me, his breath tickling my ear, "It is a beautiful day for travel, yeah?"

"Yeah." I shivered a little as a breeze picked up.

Again, Raffaello attributed this to himself and in what must have been a bold move of bravado, clasped my small hand in his large one. Honestly it felt like my hand was being smothered in his.

After about an hour or so of preparing to leave, Barbaro was hitched to my wagon his neck arched like he was royalty himself— a few delicious apples fueling this attitude— and the camp was setting off.

Raffaello climbed up onto the driver's seat and helped me up beside him. A little too close for my comfort so slide away an inch or so hoping he wouldn't notice.

Of course he did.

With his lip pouting slightly Raffaello snapped the reins against and clucked to Barbaro, who dutifully pranced along pulling us with him. Once the whole caravan was on the road, everything seemed so relaxed, with the forest idly rolling by. I leaned back against the wooden seat, and enjoyed the scenery.

At noon we stopped and ate lunch— Ptarmigan with a creamy sauce of some kind that tasted like butter and some mild form of goat cheese.

After Raffaello and I had eaten, I gathered a plate for Gabriel, and was heading back to give it to him when Raffaello stopped me.

"I'll give it to him."

"No it's okay," I shook my head and stepped around him, but he was following me, "Raffaello, he's been sleeping a lot lately, so I thought if I went in really quiet and fed him quickly, then there wouldn't be any harm in me going alone— just for a moment or so."

Raffaello looked as though he would object but nodded sourly, "Just a moment."

In all actuality I spent the rest of the trip to Corona talking with Gabriel quietly feeding him his lunch since he could hardly lift his arms they were so swollen. When I had finished feeding Gabriel his meal, we sat quietly studying each other for a few moments thinking.

"Elyse?"

"Yeah?" I met his gaze for a second before guiltily looking away.

Gabriel appeared not to notice, "Where are we heading to?"

I realized that no one had bothered to tell him what was going on, and a feeling of mild guilt washed through me, "To Corona…."

"But?"

I bit my lip, "I have to meet Princess Rapunzel, and no one else can know."

So why on earth did I feel compelled to tell _him?_

Gabriel arched one of his eyebrows then shrugged letting it go— which I was very thankful for. I reached out and gently grabbed his wrist, lifting it so as to be able to examine his arms carefully, and all the while I never felt Gabriel's curious and kind blue eyes leave my face. I saw the veins hiding just below Gabriel's skin like blue ribbons wrapping down his arm, disappearing here and reappearing farther along, making a barely visible roadmap on his arm. Gabriel's muscles were just definable beneath the swelling and it made me wonder just how strong Gabriel was. _Was he strong enough to help break my curse, _my conscience amended and I felt like kicking myself.

Attempting to distance myself from Gabriel I tried to lay his arm back down beside him, but Gabriel grabbed my arm, and held it delicately is his hand now tracing the veins on my arm. When I tried to pull away slowly so as not to hurt him, his grip tightened on mine ever so slightly, "Abbiate fiducia in me."

_Trust me._

"I do." I murmured and realized I had understood him— the lessons he had been giving me when Raffaello was away were paying off. At the same time I realized I had just place my trust in the hands of the man who would lead me to my death.

By the time we had reached Corona it was afternoon. Well technically we hid our wagons before crossing the bridge, and then went on our merry way, excited for the up and coming celebration, but what difference did it make? We were happy and had arrived.

Gabriel walked along beside me, his swelling having gone down enough for him to attend the celebration, and to enjoy the festivities. Already Corona was covered in its little purple and gold sun flags which were hung from house to house, across shop windows and some were even being worn on sleeves or as little bandanas.

While lingering a little too long over some beautiful bluebells, Gabriel grabbed my hand and pulled me along acting secretive and holding a single finger up to his lips— smiling like he had suspicious truth to tell me— keeping his back to me. Then when we had reached the edge of the market he stopped and I could see the ocean; it was so blue it was hard to tell where the sky began and the sea ended at the horizon.

"Spin for me?" Gabriel grinned holding my hand up high for me to twirl under.

I spun around slowly taking in my surroundings such as the grey stone walls, the colorful floor tiles, and the open market bustling with excited people.

By the time I had spun back around to face Gabriel he was holding out a single yellow flower that faded to red at the tips of the petals, and placed it gently in my hair, before saying anything, "Yellow is for happiness, and this little Gladiolus means strength— and something I think you already know."

But did I?

Did I _want_ to know?

Gabriel gingerly placed his hand behind my head the bent my head forward— for a few panicking moments I thought that he would kiss me, my heart hammering in my chest— but I guess I was partly right, as Gabriel placed the sweetest kiss on my forehead.

His lips were slightly rough from weeks of rough weather, but to me they felt smooth and warm, and just a little inviting; I tossed that last thought into some dark recess of my mind so that I could feel the sudden light of this moment splash across my conscience.

I wanted to tell Gabriel that I knew what was going on— knew that he was still working with the man he called 'Captain'— but half of my heart just didn't care. Half of my heart wanted me to scream 'traitor' in Gabriel's face and run as fast as I could, but then half of my heart wanted me to kiss him and hold his for a moment until the walls came crashing down on me; pretending to be oblivious even from myself.

I ever so slowly leaned in to kiss his cheek but he leaned away from me slightly, looking me in the eyes then grabbing my hand and walking away, pulling me along behind him.

"Il mio più fidato e amato." I whispered just loud enough for Gabriel to hear, a feeling of fire slowly filling me thoroughly as a zephyr teased his hair.

Gabriel stopped midstride so suddenly I almost ran into his back and looked at me over his shoulder, "What did you say?"

"Più fidati e amato?" I gave Gabriel a small smile, "I thought _you_ were the one that spoke the language not _me_."

Gabriel turned around the rest of the way, giving me a serious and steady look, "You shouldn't say that unless you love the person— trust me, Elyse, what you feel is infatuation, not love." Still Gabriel gripped my hand harder, "Today is wonderful, beautiful, and magical. Don't let it confuse you."

A feeling of regret and reprimand flooded through me for being silly, "Sorry?"

"Don't be."

I smiled on the inside, knowing that in some part of me, I really was at least _beginning_ to love Gabriel.

That feeling kept growing as the festival began. We ate lots of delicious foods with names I couldn't pronounce, danced to the music that added to the feeling of merriment, and wandered the darkening streets holding hands just to talk about out past lives. I couldn't have been happier. Currently I was dancing to an upbeat song that had hints of Gypsy influence to it; Gabriel spun me around once, then twice.

Then I saw her.

In mid-spin I stopped, my dress floating back down gently in a slight twirl of silky fabric, and I couldn't help but stare.

This girl wore the crown of the princess on top of her brown hair that flowed past her shoulders, her bright green eyes shone in the lantern lit night, and her long baby pink dress shimmered. Her escort wrapped an arm around her waist as they waved to the people who bowed, then shouted, "Long live Rapunzel!"

I bit my lip as grief and disappointment crashed through my whole being threatening to drown me.

Gabriel was studying my face and gently used his thumb to pull my lip out from under my teeth, then spun me back around to finish the spin Rapunzel's arrival had interrupted, "Don't worry about meeting her— I have heard she is kind and wise for her young age."

"I," briefly I thought of telling Gabriel why I really was biting my lip, but then realized that it would be pointless, "I'm just nervous."

He would try and stop me.

They all would.

Rapunzel and her escort, Eugene Fitzherbert, stepped into the crowd and danced with the people without guards— unafraid of the people who loved them so dearly. I smiled thinking of how I knew exactly how they felt.

A waltz song came on and immediately Gabriel placed his hand on my waist holding up my right hand and sliding directly into a style of waltz we both knew well. In FaLeon, King Fleischer's kingdom, the waltz had a slight bounce and bob to it and yet it was as smooth, fluid, and majestic as a marble cherub water fountain.

I looked into Gabriel's blue eyes and felt like I was floating along in a reluctantly flowing stream that would carry me on and on forevermore.

Gabriel's jaw tightened and he tried to steer me away from something that was behind me, but his timing was off and my back brushed up against whom other than the Princess Rapunzel. Both of us stopped and curtsied to one another, our partners bowing, offering our sincerest apologies to one another.

Prince Eugene took a look at me and held out his hand. When I placed mine in his he raised it to his lips and breathed a few words of apology.

I nodded and murmured mine in what I hope was a disinterested way— I prayed with all my heart he couldn't detect the wild tint to my demeanor that came from living on the run— everyone knew that the Prince came from a less than honorable background being a thief and all. My heart squeezed with fear when he looked straight into my grey eyes with his hazel ones and gave a small smirk.

Rapunzel caught it and smiled with genuine interest, "I don't believe I have met you before, I am Princess Rapunzel of Corona, and this is my husband Eugene Fitzherbert."

When she offered her hand for me to shake I shook it firmly, "I am Princess Elyse of the Gypsies," then I gestured with my other hand to Gabriel, "This is my linguist Gabriel."

Rapunzel and Eugene shared a brief look and I knew I was sunk— they knew just from one look into my eyes— I was a criminal. Rapunzel caught my arm in hers lightly, "Would the two of you join us for supper? I've actually never met another princess before." Then she grinned at Gabriel, "Or a linguist."

"We would be delighted." It was out of my mouth before I could think.

Eugene slid his arm into my other one, "Then off let's go."

I was _so_ dead.

* * *

><p><strong>sheep1215:<strong> I actually keep pronouncing it "El-is" but you can pronounce it any way you want. Oh and by the way- I'm kinda crazy myself so I don't really mind it.

**PampleMousse07:** things are getting interesting now huh?

**Hedgi:** thank you- I will try to keep the happy endings coming.

**LiveLoveWrite-93:** Thanks I'm sure other people have thought of it but I'm just glad your reading mine.

**sammieyap:** I always thought Elyse was about 18 to about 20 years old.


	11. Chapter 10 Loss of Faith

**A/N: Hey guys over fifty reviews that's awesome! Thanks for all the support! Unfortunately a not so happy chapter… bear with me.**

* * *

><p>I sat at the long table across from Gabriel and next to Rapunzel in the main dining room, watching Gabriel gently prod some food on his plate with his silverware. It had been a great evening until Flynn had noticed that I was on the run and getting the idea that I was a thief of some sort. Even the lighting in the room seemed menacing under the filter of fear that shrouded my mind.<p>

The table was a long, dark, sturdy wooden one that was at least thirty feet in length, which covered not even half of the dining hall. Purple curtains were drawn to the side letting moonlight fill part of the room casting double shadows on anything it touched and this was strangely comforting. It gave me something to think about in the awkward silence that seemed to bounce off the walls and lay like some kind of cloying fog over the room.

By the time we had all finished eating— or in my case pushing the food around trying to make it just disappear— the moon outside was peaking over the horizon. Standing I went over to the window, when the moonlight fell on me I saw my reflection in the glass, from the black hair to the now silver glowing eyes. It was a full moon out there and my eyes always tended to glow when exposed to it. The next thing I knew Rapunzel was standing next to me, staring at our reflections.

"Cursed?"

"Yes." I whispered to keep my voice from shaking.

Eugene smiled almost apologetically at Gabriel and I, while Gabriel walked over to my right side, wrapping an arm around me. Looking up into his face it was plain he was thinking of the fastest way out of the castle that would keep us both safe. Smiling on the inside at how he was just now contemplating escape and at how it seemed like we were both one of a kind— a matching pair. Leaning my head on his shoulder I sighed and watched the moon rise.

"What brings you here?" Rapunzel asked as curiosity and endearment filtered through in her soft voice.

The sound of her sweet and kind voice melted the black curtain of fear in my mind— I could feel the whole room change from strange and alien to friendly— my brain slowed down and I could practically hear Gabriel's match pace to mine.

Lifting my head from Gabriel's shoulder I gave Rapunzel an amiable and meaningful look, "Only to meet you and to enjoy a festival with my family. When you offered me your hand in the square after we bumped into one another, my heart squeezed with fear. You were my only way out of this curse— but now it… now you can't possibly." I turned away from the moon, "Only a Flower of the Sun could have cured me, for the sun always chases away the darkness of night, the moon fleeing before it. You, Rapunzel, once were such a Flower but now you can't possibly save me from the fate I will inevitable endure."

Gabriel, being strangely supportive at the moment, held my hand and gave it a light squeeze, whispering in my ear, "I won't let them get you— I promise."

Rapunzel seemingly unaware of this, walked over to the table and brushed her hand lightly over it, "There is nothing I can do to help."

"We understand your Highness." Gabriel murmured in gratitude.

Eugene

Rapunzel rolled her eyes lightly, and then turned serious again, "What _is_ your curse?"

By the time I finished filling in some of the blanks about my being a Flower of the Moon and that I had the ability to grant any wish, an old grandfather clock that I had seen on the way up here struck midnight, chiming twelve little gongs. Gabriel started to sing my song, my waist length ebony hair suddenly glowing silver so brightly that it filled the whole room with its ethereal light.

"_Flower of the moon_

_Shower me with light_

_Award me one wish_

_Please give me back my life_

_Ease the pains of time_

_Grant the blind their sight_

_Make one find true love_

_Please give me back my life_

_Give back my life."_

Without him even telling me I knew that I would grant this or any other wish he would ever make as long as we both lived.

Gabriel held my hand twirling me as suddenly I was wearing the most beautiful pale blue dress I had ever seen, we were back down dancing with the others as though we had never even left. I leaned my head onto Gabriel's chest and cried just letting him hold me for a moment.

"She can't help me Gabriel— I did all that work for nothing. All the pain I went through to get here and she can't even help me."

Gabriel patted my back in sympathy, "Its okay we'll figure out some way to keep you safe."

After a while Gabriel and I moved away from the square, the dancing and frivolity that resided there. It rubbed wrong on my nerves— I had just learned that the one person who had given my whole miserable life a small teardrop of light— there was nothing.

For a moment, I hadn't realized that Gabriel had stopped, but when I did he casually leaned up against my wagon. We were so far away from all of the festivities of Corona, so far away from Raffaello or my Father, which I couldn't help but wonder if this is when Gabriel would come clean and his soldier friends would sneak behind me and cart me off to FaLeon.

After what felt like a long time Gabriel spoke in a hushed tone, "You scared me."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Gabriel pushed away from the wagon slowly and calculating, "Back at the Market, when you called me—,"

I held up my hand then walked away a few feet until I was a more reasonable distance from the man who was stealing my heart. About seventy nine percent of me really didn't want to know what Gabriel had to say about my loving him. Still the other thirty one percent of curiosity was boiling and pricking at me, trying to get me to just wave him on and say whatever he needed to say.

Steeling my nerves and my voice anyways, I whispered back to him, "Even though I said it I knew you wouldn't ever feel that way. I am an incurable monster, a beautiful face that masks the ugly worn interior of someone who will always be broken— until the final end."

"Elyse, you're not making sense."

Looking at him from under my eyelashes I held Gabriel's gaze while he appeared spellbound; I had known he would be. For some reason every full moon I had a certain allure to those around me even if they knew about my curse and what it did.

Hot tears rolled down my face then fell from my chin before splashing onto the white-blue of my dress I replied, "I will never get a cold, never suffer from a scratch or bruise, and I will never suffer from the normal ailments of growing old— if I ever grow old and more than likely I will die like my Mother— running like a fox running from the hounds."

Gabriel strode over to me and wrapped his arms around me, "Or you could die with the man who loves you."

The suddenly urge to scream at Gabriel and push him away came on hard and fast but I reined it in— hadn't I said merely hours before that he was my più fidato e amato? Hadn't he rejected me telling me that it was, for all intents and purposes, a stupid infatuation?

"Don't say it," I growled irately while taking a step away from him, "unless you _really_ mean it."

He took one measured step towards me slowly as he spoke in a low and soothing tone, "Elyse, I have always fallen head over heels for you— in the meadow by the glen when we had to chop down that tree to cross the ravine, when I went first and almost fell— it wasn't my fellow soldiers who saved me then and it isn't them saving me now. I'm still falling, end over end, and you can catch me and save me from what I've become— you're the only one who can."

Tears tracked down my face and I flung my arms around Gabriel's neck, "You annoy me."

"I know." He murmured in my ear.

Soon after deciding not to go to the wagons for fear of the world finding us in that little meadow where we could hide from the world temporarily, Gabriel and I had started a fire and were leaning against a boulder, sitting next one another with our fingers intertwined. I could feel the hopeless despair that had engulfed me earlier lift off of my shoulders. It was as if there had been a pair of heavy chains laid there for weeks on end and now Gabriel had taken them off and set me free.

Nearly a hour of that peaceful silence later and a man with a scar stumbled drunkenly into our meadow. Gabriel sighed in annoyance and stood to send him back the way he came.

I stood to help if I possibly could.

The cold feeling of steel suddenly appeared at my throat and I screamed. Captain clamped one of his metal encased arms around mine pinning them uselessly to my side. Four soldiers were holding Gabriel down to the ground while he yelled and desperately thrashed, nearly landing one of the soldiers in the fire.

The man with the scar sauntered over to Gabriel with a cold smile, and lifted his spear high up over his head. Gabriel laid still and looked me in the eyes desperation and fear clouding his usually thoughtful eyes.

Then the soldier plunged his spear down into Gabriel.

I'll never forget the sound of our agonized screams mingling and ripping through the night air.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long guys it was kind of a slow chapter for me to write.<strong>

**The Animanga Girl:** Well not exactly "safe".

**hedgi:** Thank you for loving my story**.**

**GhibliGirl91:** Yeah pretty much.

**ArishaSmile:** Here I hope this makes your day better. Oh, and it's free to interpretation, I thought it would grow like normal hair afterwards.**  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 11 Dead But Not

***Elyse***

After Gabriel had died, I just didn't care. Captain threw me over his shoulder with the boys whooping and high-fiving for the better part of five miles. It took me maybe five seconds to unintentionally learn all of their names.

Adalgar was the red haired one with bright green eyes. From what I could tell he preferred to use a hammer and had a knife in his belt. I could also see Adalgar had more scars than any of the other men combined and had a veteran look about him.

Dolphus had nearly black hair and brown eyes. Dolphus had a devilish looking sword that had one serrated side and one curved side that was wicked sharp. He and Adalgar obviously didn't like one another from the dagger-eyed looks they were sending each other.

Hildbrand, the short stocky man with mouse brown hair and blue-green eyes, had a spear, broadsword, and a crossbow. Everyone gave him his space as if one little misbehavior would set him off on a killing spree.

Reginald was in the middle height-wise and had stringy muscles like a cat. He had a crossbow and a longbow slung over his back with his quiver at his side. His straw colored hair and ice blue eyes looked out of place in the group. His eyes, despite their color, were soft and gentle when they met mine. He seemed to feel… sorry for me.

They were all uniform. Walking with the same cautious gate, hair cropped short, ready to draw their weapons if necessary. All of them had, in varying degrees, dislike or even hate for me. But it felt like someone was missing from the group and it set everyone off balance.

"She's a pretty one for a thief," Dolphus whispered to Reginald, smiling in a way that made my skin crawl, "I guess that's the allure our little friend Gabriel fell for, eh? He always _did_ have a weak spot for this pretty little Flower."

Reginald smiled at me too, but not creepy or stalkerish like Dolphus, "No."

"No?"

"She loves him too."

Dolphus let loose a few expletives in admiration, "How did Gabriel manage that? She's a minx— there one moment gone the next."

Reginald shrugged, "Why do I care? With him dead does it matter?"

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel Before The Attack*<strong>

Elyse was sitting next to me with her fingers entwined with mine, looking so vulnerable that I almost felt I should avert my eyes. The emotions there were so complicated just flickering across her face that I had no hope of ever deciphering them. So I sat with her, knowing it was all my fault that she was even here in the first place, and stroked the back of her hand with my thumb.

Thirty minutes later she looked me in the face and the love I saw there was more than anything anyone had ever felt for me except for my own family. It may have even exceeded that.

How was I supposed to tell her now?

How could I tell Elyse, the one girl who knew the me behind the unwilling soldier, that the man who was hunting her was my uncle?

I loved her.

We probably sat there for the better part of another half an hour before I finally made my decision. I had to tell her everything, from the reasons behind my father's death, to why my uncle wanted Elyse dead so badly. She had to know everything. I opened my mouth to speak but a drunken man stumbled into our meadow.

He looked vaguely familiar, but he looked completely harmless, so I stood up to show him back to the Festival. I could hear Elyse stand up behind me to help me.

That's when it struck me. The drunken man probably wasn't even buzzed— he was one of the mercenaries that my uncle would hire from time to time, I think his name was Damien— and he had a short spear hidden next to him.

Four of my former comrades attacked me and pinned me to the ground. My uncle had Elyse pinned in his arms with a large curved blade against her soft throat. Bellowing like a mad man, I thrashed around, using my knowledge of my comrades to my advantage to find their weak spots. I nearly landed Reginald— who had been the closest thing to a friend to me during my service— in the fire.

I could hear Damien saunter over to me. I could practically feel smugness rolling off of him in waves as he raised his spear over his head. Looking into Elyse's eyes I could feel panic burning through everything I was trying to convey to her with my eyes.

_It's okay._

_I'll be fine._

_Stay safe._

_Don't ever doubt that I love you._

Time slowed down and I could hear the slight whistle of Damien's spear as it plunged down. A sharp, burning, flash of agony ripped through me and I screamed. Somewhere I could hear Elyse screaming too and I prayed she wasn't hurt.

Darkness crept in on me and I knew I would probably die tonight. I shouldn't have left the party with her; I should have told her about Captain wanting me to get her alone, should have told her everything.

Now it was too late.

I was dying.

In the blackness I could feel something warm and slightly heaving on my chest. The warm thing was removed and I felt cold and alone, slipping farther into the blackness slowly, feeling like I was drowning.

After what felt like eternity I felt something hot. _Really_ hot. It was burning me it was so hot. I could feel it pulling me out of the blackness and the farther it pulled me out the more the hot thing hurt. By the time I could open my eyes again the hot thing was scorching.

When I saw what was burning me I was surprised. A red hot curved knife was searing the spear wound closed. Attached to the knife was a large hand, and attached to that was large muscles bigger than my own, and attached to that was a tall man with hazel eyes and brownish hair.

"Raffaello?"

* * *

><p><strong>I told you guys from the get go that Gabriel survives the whole story, honest!<strong>

**zukofan2005:** he's fine, he's fine. no worries.

**ArishaSmile:** No I just liked the name Gabriel... sorry but no intentional foreshadowing...

**sheep1215:** He lives because of his worst enemy... DUN DUN DUN!


	13. Chapter 12 Not So Recent History

**A/N: I promised you guys Gabriel would live! I just **_**had**_** to use Raffaello though— just to throw you guys off. In this chapter are some new twists, and Elyse's powers are explained a bit better when she thinks about her past…**

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

Once we had crossed the river back to Faleon— I had found myself calling it that after… well, it was the name the gypsies had given Fleischer's Kingdom— a caravan that was guarded by two soldiers were waiting for Captain and his men. By caravan, I mean horses for the soldiers, a supply wagon, and an iron carriage for me. Well it wasn't so much a carriage as more of a metal box on wheels that had on tiny window in the back that I could barely fit my flattened hand through with a similar little whole at the front. The back opened and I was disappointed to see a sturdy padlock at the top and bottom on the outside of the cell and an interior that was completely empty except for walls.

You can guess that I wasn't invited in.

I was thrown in by my arms, the cell was small enough that my head struck the other side, and my ears immediately began to ring. The soldier who threw me snorted, "Careful, wouldn't want to give Fleischer a bruised Flower."

The door was shut with a resounding clang that almost sounded like a gunshot. It was so dark inside the cell that I couldn't see my hand unless I stuck it in one of the two beams of light that shafted through the holes in front and back; which was fine with me. I was a Flower of the Moon it's not light the dark hurt me or anything.

My head started to throb. Curling up in a corner away from the sunbeams which hurt my eyes in such deep darkness I rubbed my temples. It was late afternoon already, it wouldn't be long until moonrise and then I would make my escape, although I had the dreadful feeling that I wouldn't.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

Raffaello sat back on his heels and frowned at me, "Who did you expect? Rapunzel?"

I sat up and leveled with him, "Honestly, I expected her more than you."

"I could have let you die," Raffaello smiled as if the idea entertained him, "You were right on Death's doorstep when Barbaro found you."

"Her horse?"

A few feet away munching on some grass nervously was Elyse's horse Barbaro. He looked at me with his big brown eyes and nickered softly then stretched quite like a cat would do.

"I can have us ready to leave in a few hours if you're coming." Raffaello said gently, which was so out of character between us.

"Where?"

He frowned again and barely resisted the urge to smack my head; I could see it in his eyes, "Where do you think? We're going after Elyse of course— or have you forgotten the woman whom you love was kidnapped?"

This mostly shocked me to my senses and I stood up earnestly, "Let's leave now!"

Raffaello sat me down on the boulder and I could see that restraint in his eyes being stretched even further, "Listen! You are in no condition to travel at the moment and in a few hours you really won't be much better off, but you'll be more conscious of your wound and how to move without hurting yourself."

I gave him a blank stare still foggy with blood loss.

Raffaello's hand hit me upside the head. _Hard_.

I barely contained a yelp.

Raffaello's face was angry, the hate in his eyes for me was prominent, "And I thought you were a soldier."

"I was."

"Buck up then, Gabriel because we are going to save the woman we both love. The only reason I need you is because you know the landscape, but honestly I am a great hunter and I could track them without you." Raffaello turned and started to walk away.

"Why did you save me if you don't need me?"

Raffaello leveled me a glare so full of hate I was sure that if looks could kill, my death would be painful and malicious, "She would never forgive me if I let you die."

When he said that I knew it was true. If the situation had been reversed between he and I would she feel the same way? I knew the answer as soon as I thought it.

No.

"Eat this." Raffaello tossed me some dried meat then a canteen filled with some liquid that smelled sweet and tangy.

While I ate, Raffaello saddled Barbaro and another horse, then loaded them up with a few provisions such as blankets, food, and water.

Then Raffaello brought out the weapons, "What are you best with?"

"Short swords."

Raffaello snorted, "If we're going to be a two man army I seriously hope that's not all your good with."

I walked over, "You asked what I was _best_ with remember?"

Looking at what Raffaello had, I saw enough weapons to supply a small troop, and two shields.

"I'm seeing a theme I don't necessarily like here." I said, my voice stronger now that I had eaten, "A reoccurring theme of two's for three people."

Raffaello pinched the bridge of his nose gingerly, "No wonder you never became a captain. We can just wish her to a strategic point elsewhere, and then meet up once we've lost Fleischer's men."

Wow I really wasn't thinking straight.

From the weapons pile I picked a longbow and a quiver of arrows, two roman short swords which I placed on each side of my waist, the smaller round shield, and a short double ended spear that I strapped to my back. Raffaello had two quivers, and a longbow that had silver engravings of ivy for the handle shining against the light colored wood.

"I hope you and Elyse make it."

"What?" I asked feeling so startled I nearly pulled my spear wound open.

Raffaello smiled sheepishly which looked odd with his big muscles and the dislike he held for me still, "Since she seems so intent on choosing you instead of one of the other boys at camp—,"

I held up a finger, "Wait, don't you want to be the one she chooses?"

"Me?" Raffaello laughed so hard I thought he would cough up both his lungs and probably a kidney, "She's my cousin! Sure she doesn't know that, but I was just trying to be like a genuinely loving big brother. I'm sorry if I got a little bit too bristly but with the whole you being a foreign soldier who had a troop following you… well you can imagine how it kind of blew up." He patted my shoulder, "Honestly I thought you were all wrong for her until I saw the way you danced with her. You held her like she was a butterfly made out of individual flecks of gold and that one wrong movement would turn her into nothing more than a pile of rubbish."

I stood there like I'd been speared through for a second time, with my mouth hanging open.

"What? Stephan is Cristiano's brother. I am Stephan's son. It's not that hard of a concept."

"How did I not see that?"

Raffaello pushed up my jaw then slapped me on the back, _hard_, "You weren't looking at me, you were looking at her; _her_ life, _her_ story. I'm just an infinitesimal part of it."

I felt like I should apologize but from the look of dislike still sitting in his eyes I knew that he only wanted me alive because Elyse loved me not because I was the best choice. He was only being nice because he knew I would die for her. Again, and again, and again.

He knew I would do whatever it took to protect her.

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

As night approached my eyes grew heavier. Usually I felt more alive during a full moon, but something about this…. cage, was sapping my energy tonight. I had to stay awake or I would miss the best time for me to make a wish for myself.

Midnight.

This is when my power was most potent. Usually my power waxes and wanes just like a real moon, but even on a new moon I could grant wishes, which was helpful considering I can't grant wishes during daylight.

_Neither could Mother_, a little voice told me in my head.

Mother and I had been exactly the same in physical looks; the same heart shaped face, long black hair, and silver grey eyes, but I had been more powerful. She told me that every day. She told me how having the "gift" in my blood made me stronger somehow than her and the others. Mother never was able to step out into the sun or she would lose her powers and she couldn't grant wishes at the new moon either, whereas I had no issues whatsoever.

The other women who became Flowers were all really good friends with my Mother. They had grown up in the same orphanage and never really grew apart.

Ileana had gotten the black hair and silver eyes too; they all did when they became a Flower. However Ileana had been slightly heavy set her whole life. Despite this she had always been beautiful and kind, wanting nothing more than to help other people, and to spend her days traveling the world. When Mother heard Ileana had executed, she had become a recluse in a small hovel for a whole month and I was the only person Mother had allowed near herself during that time. Ileana had been like a sister to her.

Charity had been the funny girl. She had been tall and thin as a twig with a long face and a thing nose. Charity had always made jokes except when it wasn't appropriate. She had honestly been my favorite of them as a child. I had cried for days when Charity had been caught by the guards and hung.

Adele was the fighter. If any of the girls were to survive the longest I would have guessed it wouldn't be Adele. She had been tough as old rawhide, but the girl loved to be challenged and tested, and never walked away from a fight. Last I heard she had been carried back to Faleon on her shield nearly ten years ago when I was still a child.

Mother on the other hand had been the theoretical chess player of the group. She knew how to fight her battles and when to fight them. I guess that's why she survived the longest. She had been just the perfect balance of thin and curvy. However my mother had had a weakness that eventually became her undoing.

Me.

* * *

><p><strong>ArishaSmile:<strong> When I know you'll know.

**LittleMissMia123:** I just want to thank you for all your hard work you put into your review! That had to take commitment.


	14. Chapter 13 The Two Faces Of Reginald

**A/N: I know that this chapter is kind of short but it's getting tougher to know what is the right thing to say. We are coming up on the final battle in the next few chapters so be prepared for mayhem and lots of sad moments. This will be an epic ending to this enjoyable tale. Just not yet.**

* * *

><p>I heard someone picking at the lock of the door. Only then did I realize that the forward motion of the cell had ceased, and I could hear a fire on the other side of the wall. It was finally moonrise from the look of the silvery light coming in through the slits in the walls.<p>

The door opened and light rushed in, making me unable to see who was on the other side, or how many soldiers there were. When my eyes adjusted I saw gentle bright blue ones looking into mine coupled with straw blonde hair and a lanky build.

"So you're Elyse, huh?" Reginald asked, the corners of his eyes crinkling from a genuine smile.

I studied him for a long time unsure what he was doing, pressing my back against the farthest wall from him, my lips pulled tight against my teeth in a vicious expression. Still he continued watching me smiling with this happy puppy grin plastered on his annoyingly charming face.

"Yes." I whispered.

Reginald smiled wider and nodded without his eyes leaving mine, "I need to tell you something. And maybe if you believe me than we can prevent something awful from happening."

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

Raffaello and I had ridden all day trying to catch the soldiers but we couldn't ride very fast in fear that my wound would open up. He kept telling me that in three days my wound would be so much better that I would be able to mostly use it without opening it.

"They will be at the capital in less than two days Raffaello— if we don't hurry,"

"Quiet." He snapped, "Talk of something else for a change. I know the timing and it is perfect."

How on earth we would fit three days into half of a day— which was the best time for us to stop them before they reached heavily populated areas— I had no idea how Raffaello had fit this all together. He was so guarded around me and it ground on my nerves because I was the soldier. Shouldn't I be leading this rescue and going at whatever pace was necessary to save Elyse in the smartest way?

"Gabriel, you just may be the most love smitten man I have ever laid eyes on." Raffaello sighed, "And you will get both you and Elyse killed if we do what you're thinking."

"You don't know what I'm thinking."

"I don't have to in order to know that it is stupid."

"Yeah?" I growled and pulled Barbaro to a stop, Raffaello following suit, "It's not stupid to wonder why we aren't trying to overtake the others before they make it into dense population where peasants will help them kill us without wondering who we are or why we are trying to oppose the king. It's not stupid to want Elyse away from my murderous uncle who I know for a fact would rather kill her than risk taking her all the way to the Capital for execution. It's not—,"

"Shut your mouth."

My temper flared even higher, "Don't you tell me to shut up I'm—,"

"A former soldier who has no family but a bloodthirsty uncle and is in love with my only cousin who is the sweetest girl on this entire planet and because of _you_," Raffaello leveled me a look that turned my blood to ice and made my hair stand on end, "she is as good as dead unless we are very careful."

I closed my mouth and urged Barbaro to plod forward once more. Because as much as I hated the idea, one thing was certain, and that one thing rubbed against my nerves almost as badly as sandpaper on a fresh wound.

Raffaello was right.

For the next couple of days the only talking we did was to discuss Raffaello's plan to get Elyse safely home. We adjusted it here and there so that it gave both Elyse and us the best chance of survival. Even then one mistake could kill us all. I knew that better than anyone— anyone but the girl who could very well be dead before sunrise two days from now.

On the final night of our journey, when we camped just outside the capital city boarders of Faleon, I heard voices. Voices as soft as silk and as strangely ethereal as the moon itself while at the same time being just as dark and mysterious as the sound of chimes echoing in a damp cave.

"That is Elyse." I said to no one in particular.

"Not just her soldier," Raffaello pointed out walking to my side and nodding to the castle, "At least four others singing with her."

"Are there more Flowers?" I asked then added, "More importantly are there more Flowers in Alric Fleischer's Castle?"

"Yes that is the worst place for them to be— but no. Elyse is the last Flower in this world. However if my gut is correct, there are four in the next, all waiting for her to arrive."

"Which may be soon."

"Tomorrow night at the latest." Raffaello confirmed.

Walking back over to the campfire I continued on, "Then let's get rested up so that Elyse isn't here tomorrow night."

Raffaello laughed and sat on the opposite side of the fire, "My thoughts exactly."

It felt like I had just closed my eyes but suddenly I got this feeling like Raffaello and I were being watched by something. Or someone.

The firelight died out with a hiss and I sat bolt upright.

Raffaello and I were surrounded by twenty scarred and highly hardened men all of whom had a vicious smirk on their face. One man stood out though— one man of whose ice blue eyes I would have a hard time forgetting— and he offered me his hand, "I'm going to save Elyse. Are you in?"

I looked at Raffaello who nodded, "Yeah. _We_ are in."

I took Reginald's outstretched hand and he pulled me to my feet as one of the other men pulled Raffaello to his, "How are you at strategy my friend?"

"He sucks." Raffaello smirked and I shrugged.

"Oh well; you know how to take orders I presume?"

"Yes, we do." I said quickly, shooting a smug look at Raffaello.

"Then let's get on to saving my niece." Reginald almost whispered with a fierceness that nearly equaled my own.

Wide eyed Raffaello and I met each others gazes for a moment then nodded, "Let's go."


	15. Chapter 14 Long Lost Child

**A/N: Hey guys the tension is really heating up! I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's full of all sorts of fun things!**

***Elyse***

I had been in this completely dark and damp place for only one day. I could feel my sanity slipping though my fingers as I tried to clutch at it desperately. So far I was winning the fight. It takes a lot more than one day in the dark to drive me crazy.

What really bugged me was the lack of moonlight.

I was so cut off from the moon that I could feel my strength being sapped from my bones. It seemed that there was nothing here. No light, no cell doors, no other prisoners, no nothing. I was alone for the first time in nearly three weeks. It used to be that something as small as being alone didn't bother me in the slightest.

Then I met Gabriel.

He had turned me from the social recluse I had been into the beloved Princess of the Gypsies. If he hadn't have attacked me that night on the road to Corona, I never would have met my Father, or Raffaello, and I probably would have practically sold my soul to Rapunzel to get my curse lifted.

Well, probably not my soul.

In any case I owed the last three wonderful weeks of my life to him. I owed him my heart for all that he had done for me. Still one small truth kept a small smile on my face in this dismal place. I knew that he had given me his heart before it had stopped beating.

"Hello?" A small whisper floated to me from my right.

"Wh-who's there?" I yelped. For the last day the only noise I had heard was my own miserable breathing and I could have almost heard my heartbeat. This person whoever they are was being awfully sneaky.

"My name is Meredith of the Lunas. What is yours?" She whispered back.

"Elyse of the Gypsies." Luna? The moon? "Are you a flower Meredith?"

"We all are if we are down here." She laughed quietly.

Grief muted panic erupted in my chest, "All?"

I heard a sigh close to Meredith, "Yeah all of us. Roxanne, Charity, Ileana, Adele, Meredith, I'm Brystol, and now you're here Elyse."

"That makes seven Flowers now." Meredith mused.

Shock ripped though me as jaggedly as lightning in the late night sky, "Did you say Roxanne?"

"Yeah." Brystol said nonchalantly, and I could almost hear a shoulder shrug in her voice.

"Now I know you two are crazy. My mother died when I was thirteen, I was there when it happened."

"If you wait about ten minutes then I can prove to you she's not." Brystol snapped and I could hear her move off in a different direction.

"You shouldn't have called her crazy." Meredith spoke in an annoyed voice.

I almost started to laugh hysterically but held it in, "If you had watched your mother brutally murdered when you were a kid, and someone told you that she was still alive and well, you would think that person was crazy too."

Silence fell once more and it almost felt like it was choking me this time as the moments went on.

Suddenly I heard a lock click and a door creak open. Four sets of feet shuffled in and the gruff voice of a guard ordered them to move more quickly. Once they were inside, the door was shut with a boom, making me flinch.

Brystol piped up bitterly, "Elyse is here, Roxanne."

"Where?"

I would know that voice even if I was hearing it sixty years down the road.

"To your left about ten feet." Meredith added but in a happier voice.

I felt a delicate hand touch my finger tips and gently find its way up my arm and to my face, "Flor de Lys, is that you?"

That was the nickname Mother used to always use to call me "Mom?"

"Elyse!" her arms flew around me and nearly smothered me as she hugged me to her chest, kissing the top of my head repeatedly, "Oh, sweetheart, I didn't mean to leave you but… things got out of hand."

I started to cry and laugh at the same time. Those are the exact same words I would have imagined her saying if I had even considered the possibility of her coming back into my life.

"I've never been happier to be wrong," I hesitated before continuing, "Ever."

Mother laughed, "Oh, my *Long Lost Child, neither have I."

***If you're interested I found the perfect song that pretty much describes how Roxanne feels when she meets Elyse again.**

**.com/watch?v=25Gt6IgfKTc**


	16. Chapter 15 Fortress of Fear

**A/N: I hope this chapter helps clear up the last on a little and maybe create some mayhem of its own.**

* * *

><p>"Mother!" I exclaimed and pushed her back a bit, using my hands to feel the shape of her face— it was the exact same shape as mine just like I knew it would be— then I held her shaking hands knowing mine were too, "How are you even alive?"<p>

"Your Uncle Reginald. He couldn't become a Flower too— we can't grant that wish apparently— so he made a few wishes. One of them was that Fleischer's men couldn't hurt or kill me." Mother gently pulled one of her hands from mine and stroked my face, which was hard to do because it was positively pitch black, "Honey, I know it's hard to believe, but please do."

Deep inside I wanted to be mad at her. Honestly I wanted to be furious and to scream at the world.

I just _couldn't._

My Mother was back. Something I had dreamed about nearly every night since she died five years ago. The chances of that happening to anyone else… actually there was only two other people this could happen to and both of them were trapped in this very same room.

"Why didn't you tell me before now?" I asked none of the bitterness I should have felt present in my voice or how I truly felt at this incredulous moment.

She sighed, "Darling you were much too young to understand a concept such as that. Of course you did a lot of growing up when I 'died'."

"I suppose you are right." I agreed.

"How long have you been in this dismal prison?" Mother asked lightly and I imagined her looking around and scrunching her nose in disgust.

"Only a day."

Mother laughed, "Well I must say that I have been cheated! I've been here for five years."

I laughed so hard it hurt my ribs and I could hear the others giggling also.

"What about the others? I thought they were dead too."

Mother's voice sobered up from laughing a little in the pitch black, "King Fleischer spread those rumors in hopes to create panic among the rest of us. A person who is fearful with be extra careful while a person who panics makes enough mistakes to be caught."

"There's so much that I need to tell you about." I smiled in relief.

The door to this filthy dungeon rushed open hitting the wall with a BANG! One of the twenty guards on the other side called out, "The almighty King Fleischer will see you all. _Now_."

"You have much to be told too, Elyse." Mother whispered fearfully.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

"Gabriel." Reginald barked at me and I brought my gaze up to his, "I want you to scale the city wall on the North side wearing this."

He held out a Faleon soldier's uniform and I took it.

"Then, once you are past the wall, I want to get into the main castle. Open the Entrance on the East side of the Castle then sneak around and open the West side as well. If you can't get to the west side yell 'East' three times."

"Got it." I nodded seriously.

I walked up to Barbaro who was lazily munching some grass. He lifted his head and perked his ears while swishing his tail happily.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed in resignation and held out a small green apple.

Barbaro practically swallowed it whole and nudged me gratefully.

"Are you ready to save Elyse?"

"We all are." Raffaello, dressed in a similar armor to mine and already mounted, affirmed from behind me.

I swung up on Barbaro, "You coming?"

Raffaello nodded a small smile on his stony face, "You can bet three toes I am."

"I won't, but I'll take your word for it." Normally I would have laughed but with Elyse's life so close to Death's door it just felt inappropriate.

"Go." Reginald ordered.

Raffaello kicked his horse into a smooth canter and Barbaro and I followed close behind. Shouting back at me, his now soft voice just audible over the thunder of our horses metal shod hooves, Raffaello taunted me, "First one to the castle get's to save Elyse!"

Barbaro cantered up alongside Raffaello's horse and I called softly back, "Last one there has to open the East gate."

Both horses understood what was going on. It was a race to the castle to save a good friend, a family member, and the woman I loved.

When we made it to the north side of the wall, Raffaello firmly behind me by twenty feet, cursing under his breath at his luck. He jumped off of his horse while I slid off of Barbaro. The angry look he shot my way brought a new meaning to 'if looks could kill'.

"Ride faster next time." I taunted, not so much as a humoring snort breaking through my determination.

Raffaello started to climb the wall, easily lifting his large muscular frame up the steep sides, looking back at me from halfway up, "Climb faster next time."

By the time I was twenty feet off the ground— not even a third of the way up the monstrous wall— Raffaello had disappeared over the top. I climbed even faster. He was not going to get there first and save Elyse. I was the one who put Elyse in danger so now it was me who was supposed to rescue her.

I finally reached the top and heaved myself over when I saw Raffaello. He was standing stock still facing me. One of Faleon's guards had a crossbow aimed right between his eyes. The guard's back was to me, his full attention on Raffaello, and I unsheathed one of my swords. Quietly sneaking up behind the guard I planted my sword between his shoulder blades killing him instantly.

"He must have watched us ride up." I growled mostly to myself the looked up at Raffaello, "Now let's get down the wall."

"Carefully." Raffaello nodded.

Going down the fortress wall was more like jumping from one roof to another, until we were just outside the fifteen foot castle gate on the west side. None of the guards cared about two other guards running to the castle. They probably thought we were late for duty or something.

The town square was sprawled out lazily in front of us with the sunlight beating down in bright waves of warm light. When I stepped into the light I walked through the middle of the square. All of the people quieted down to whisper and parted way for Raffaello and I as we crossed through the middle. The hairs on the back on my neck stood up straight from all the sets of eyes on us and from all the words that undoubtedly were being said.

Two years ago I had walked through this same square with Captain. That had been my first day in the troop and we were heading through the square just he and I. We were on our way to the castle on our rounds.

Every person had looked at us just like they were now. Back then I had seen the fear in their eyes and I had felt superior. I had felt those eyes on me, heard those whispers about me, and I had felt like I was a part of something.

I felt powerful.

Now I saw the fear and it made me sick to my stomach.

Once we had arrived at the West gate one of the sentries opened the drawbridge over the moat and we just walked across. On the other side is when the action started.

Raffaello shot three of the sentries with his bow, and I threw my hatchet at the last, just as he was about to release a crossbow bolt straight into Raffaello's heart.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." I frowned as I retrieved my favorite weapon.

Taking a thick steel rod from against the wall Raffaello jammed the lever that allowed the drawbridge to be moved up and down. He turned to me, "I thought you were best with short swords."

"I'm best with hatchets but I noticed an absolute lack of those in your weapon pile." I grinned and Raffaello returned me one as well

Continuing on in comfortable silence Raffaello and I made it to what looked to be a servant's hallway of some flavor. It was poorly lit and the floor was made of uneven stones.

"I will head to the East gate," Raffaello whispered hesitantly, "You go save my cousin."

A moment of understanding passed between he and I. While we both would fight to the death to save Elyse, she needed to know that I was still alive, and I needed to know that she wasn't hurt. I needed to know it so badly it was like I had been speared a second time.

There was no goodbye from Raffaello. No wave or meaningful backward glance. From him, all I needed was that he was going to get his job done, and all he needed from me was the same thing. So I found the door to the dungeon— a place I had traveled much in my transporting of criminals— and was about to open the door when I heard footsteps on the other side. Quickly I hid behind a suit of old armor that sat in a crevice in the wall.

"This way ladies." A gruff voice barked out and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Seven beautiful women with ebony black hair and silver as moonlight eyes. Two of them stuck out above the rest. A young woman with a heart shaped face wearing a lavender dress and an older woman who looked exactly like the other young lady except she was wearing a pale yellow dress and had her hair worn up in a bun.

Elyse and Roxanne.

Roxanne was supposed to be dead! I had seen the grief in Elyse's eyes as clearly as a person on the open planes can see the sun! Yet here she was alive and gently stroking Elyse's long soft hair.

The urge to jump out from behind the statue and gather her into my arms was so strong that I nearly collided with the suit of armor in front of me when I realized who else I was seeing. Twenty well armed, highly trained soldiers, who looked like they were handpicked by Fleischer himself to guard his Flowers. Most of them had scars all down their arms and across their faces.

"Hurry, along _Flowers_." The same guard from before growled wrinkling his nose in disgust, "The King will see you in the hangman's courtyard."

* * *

><p><strong>dreaminsaphire:<strong> I hope this chapter clears a few things up from the previous chapter.


	17. Chapter 16 An Almost Story and Death

**A/N: Hello one and all. I had a request from ****ILoveDamon99**** that I incorporate more Italian into the story. So hear you go! I'll try from now on to put more in there(with translations of course).**

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

The moon shone down on my unaccustomed eyes with such blinding silver light that I cringed from the pain of it. Mother grimaced slightly then moved forward out into the poorly lit and deathly looking courtyard under the bright Full Moon.

A gallows sat on the north side, where a single man robed in reds and silvers stood waiting, a golden scepter in his right hand. He was impossibly handsome in a devilish sort of way and didn't look as though he was older than twenty five. Even in the moonlight I could see he had thick brown hair that curled just below his ears and that under his robes he was impossibly fit. His eyes were tawny colored like a wolf's and I instantly knew who he was.

Alric Fleischer.

Simultaneously all of us Flowers hesitated. He had lied to us all, faked most of our death's— I'm sure tales of my _own_ death were being circulated at that very moment— and he had gathered us all like sheep. Looking at the gallows I knew he could have very well gathered us here to kill us all the same night just so we would have to watch each other die.

Once all of us Flowers were gathered in front of Fleischer he smiled broadly, "Welcome back."

He was met with resenting silence.

"I see we have some new faces amongst the crowd— well let me introduce myself. I'm King Alric Fleischer, ruler of the grand country some call FaLeon." He paused then continued on, "Would you girls come introduce yourselves?"

A fourteen year old girl smiled with such fake sweetness it made me flinch, "I am Meredith, daughter of Charity."

A girl who could be no more than thirteen waved shyly, "I'm Brystol, daughter of Ileana."

"Elyse, Princess of the Gypsies, daughter of Roxanne." I said numbly nodding to him.

Fleischer's face became oddly amused when I said 'princess'. An unearthly amusement that didn't quite reach his cold tawny eyes when he smiled.

Weird— people thought I had cold eyes because they were silver— Fleischer had warm colored eyes that chilled me to the bone.

Warring emotions filled me and I fought to gain control of them. Half of me wanted to run around kissing people— mother was back and the one thing I wanted most was to celebrate that— and leaping for joy.

The more sensible half of me wanted to run. My heart was pounding so loudly in my eardrums that I couldn't think hardly from the fear that Fleischer was etching into my skin with his eyes. My fingers itched with the need to feel the wind rushing through them as I left all of this behind.

Well not all of it.

I wouldn't leave behind my memories of Gabriel or my Family for anything in the world.

So standing here scared out of my mind I watched carefully as the King appraised us like a few prized pieces of horse flesh for sale.

One of the women started to whisper.

"In una notte di luna d'argento, il Maestro ha parlato della guardia. Nulla è stato ordinato nel consueto vigore ma è scivolato tra, su carta. La paura di perdere la sua-,"

_Upon a silver moonlit night, the Master spoke to guard. Nothing was commanded in the usual force but slipped between on paper. The fear in the Master's eyes of losing_-

Ileana clamped her hand down on little Brystol's mouth— who was speaking— and shushed her.

"Oh let the girl continue." Fleischer smiled coldly, "Tis only a tale that I know too well and have the verse memorized as a symbol of my error. One which will not be repeated."

Brystol, now humbly silent, didn't indulge the King's request.

"If you won't finish then you girls owe me more yet." Fleischer mused, "What shall I wish for then?"

I ground my teeth against the words that threatened to spew as a new emotion raised its ugly head from the hidden depths of my soul. It burned inside me like acid. Hurting and fueling me at the same time.

I hated King Fleischer so much I could have killed him.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

Once the group had left the corridor and I could no longer see them, I squeezed out from behind the statue, careful not to grind my armor on the stone wall. Walking in the direction Elyse had been taken I stepped lightly hoping that no one would be suspicions.

"You there!"

Turning around I saw the General of King Fleischer's army waving me over nonchalantly. He was a man who could easily be mistaken for a bear. Curly thick black peppered hair grew on his head. His arms and legs had a light coating of black hair that was almost hidden by his armor. His face was sharp and weather worn from many battles.

My legs responding instantaneously, they dragged me over to the General, "Yes Sir?"

He held out his hand for me to shake, "You're Milly's boy aren't you?"

Hearing my mother's name came as a shock, "Yes, Sir I am."

"I'm sorry for your loss, son."

With that he turned and walked away.

My mind went blank and I fell against the wall. How? How did this happen? I had only been gone for a few months! When I had left my mother had been in perfect health, waving goodbye from the castle wall like all parent in Faleon did when their child was sent out.

For the first time in months I couldn't move.

I couldn't do anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all of your patience! First my computer tweaked out and then Mozilla Firefox crashed on me. Now we continue on- hopefully uninterrupted- in this epic tale of the girl with silver hair!<strong>


	18. Chapter 17 My Pain, His Awakening

**A/N: Sorry It's been so long since I last updated. It's been a busy month with going back to school and all— still need to do my culminating project (uggh)— and I'll try to be better about it.**

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

I looked at the guard closest to me and wondered how quickly I could take his weapon from him and if I could get to Fleischer before the other guards killed me.

Fleischer laughed and pulled an intricate gold flask from his blood red robe, "Bring beautiful, young Elyse forward."

Two guards grabbed my arms and at least three more put their spear tips against my lower back and between my shoulders.

Once I was standing in front of Fleischer next to the spectral looking gallows, the guards let go of my arms, and just stepped back. Leaving me practically alone in front of the King I hated.

King Fleischer gabbed my left hand and bent down and kissed it. King Fleischer kept my hand in his as he flicked open the flask with his other hand. Golden light lit up both of our faces from the flask. Now that I looked I could see a Corona Sun on the side of the flask.

"No." I gasped and tried to pull my hand away from him.

King Fleischer laughed and held my hand steady, "Oh don't worry about losing my gift, Dear." He tipped the flask slightly and a single light emitting drop teetered on the edge, "It might hurt a pinch though."

I struggled harder which caused the drop to fall off the cold metal flask. As soon as it hit my pale moon washed skin, I screamed. Ribbons of hot gold light raced up my arm making me glow like the sun. The pain continued to flare and the exquisiteness of it was enough to cause me to continue screeching like a banshee. Never before had I understood the saying, 'the pain was exquisite'.

Now I was experiencing it firsthand.

Acid and fire raced through my every fiber. My legs were shaking and I fought against their demand to collapse.

"Elyse!" Mother gasped from far behind me.

"Take her to the side there- she'll be fairly immobile for a while." King Fleischer commanded and dropped my hand in disgust, then turned to the others as the guards took me, "Anyone else fancying escape?"

The lack of noise I caught through the pain wasn't encouraging as the guards threw me into the wall and I slid down it; finally giving into my legs demands.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

I couldn't move.

My Mother was dead.

I would probably be discovered soon.

Elyse would die too.

What had I done? Why couldn't I have become a carpenter instead of a soldier?

_Because you don't want Elyse to be with anyone but you but wouldn't begrudge her if she fell in love with someone else_, I told myself.

A blood curdling shriek of agony broke my frozen conundrum. I bolted to my feet and barely managed to curtail the urge to bellow Elyse's name. Running down the corridor I drew both my Roman short swords.

I had my Più fidati e amato to save.

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

I watched Fleischer as he approached the others in a cocky saunter. Excitement rolled off of him in waves.

"I have waited too long to try that on one of you." Fleischer tisked.

Mother and the rest stayed silent until Meredith spat at Fleischer, "You are a downright horrid person."

A sudden paroxysm of pain racked my body and I missed what happened next as I closed my tearing eyes shut and gripped at the cobblestones beneath me. The coolness of them helped a little but it also chilled me.

Meredith grunted, probably from trying to pull away from Fleischer's impossibly strong grasp, and was begging him to stop whatever it was that he was doing.

"Alright." King Fleischer sighed in disappointment and there was a thud.

The pain I had been listening through subsided and I opened my eyes to see Meredith sitting on her backside. Fleischer was walking back towards the gallows which seemed perpetually lonely. Last second he turned towards me again.

Hauling me harshly to my feet by my arm, Fleischer whispered in my ear, "Now we will see if you and your little gang of thieves are worth it, hm?"

"Don't."

Fleischer slapped me across my face with his right hand, the shock almost out weighed the stinging on my face, "You will _not_ tell _me_ what to do."

Something warm ran down my face and I wiped my left eye.

_No tears?_ I asked myself.

Gently moving my hand to my cheek I winced as the stinging increased. Looking at my fingers I could see blood- illuminated from underneath by my still gold glowing skin- looking at the blood I felt my hatred for Fleischer increase to the point it was now scalding my heart like boiling water. The ring of his right hand also had my blood on it.

Fleischer began talking to the group nonchalantly, "You see ladies, I need _my_ gift that you so _rudely_ have taken from me. Since my gift resides in your very blood however, this means I need you _too_ ladies. This is why I have," Fleischer paused for a moment searching for the correct word, "_collected_ you all here."

I bit my lip to prevent myself from saying anything. Knowing who was standing next to me it would only get another drop of that devil hot golden liquid on me. In caution I kept my eyes on the flask.

Again, Fleischer saw where I was looking and he pulled out the sun stamped flask once more, "This is my second favorite possession in the whole castle. It is made from a now extinct flower that had the power to heal any sickness, to return youth and beauty, to even grant someone indefinite immortality."

I could feel myself begin to sweat, "How did you find it?"

"Simple." Fleischer smiled halfheartedly while his tawny eyes stared at the flask hungrily, "Around twenty years ago a young queen was about to give birth, however she was deathly sick. When they found the Gift of the Sun they pulled it up from the ground by it's roots and made it into an antidote for her to drink."

A wave a nausea ran through me as the meaning of Fleischer's words sunk in.

"I simply stole a few of the roots and made a pure Sun extract."


	19. Chapter 18 Nightmares

**A/N: We are almost to the very end of Elyse's story now and I'm feeling conflicted**. **I know that many of you probably feel the same way- sad that the story is almost to a close, yet still excited for a spectacular ending- and I just wanted to give you guys a prechapter warning: I am NOT finished with Eugene and Rapunzel! I know we haven't seen much of our very beloved duo, but they have yet _another_ part to play is Elyse's life! Keep in touch!**

* * *

><p><strong>*Rapunzel*<strong>

The strange letter I held at eye level was quite the surprise. The vaguely familiar blue wax seal was stamped with a broken crown encircled with olive branches. Over the top of the unopened piece of mail Eugene was staring at me with his hazel eyes full of curiosity. I knew that eventually Eugene would open the letter and read it for himself if I didn't tell him what it said. However I didn't know if I should open the little yet alarming letter. Suddenly I found myself in quite the sticky situation: to read the letter, or to burn it?

"The best things come in small packages." Eugene hinted with a somewhat smug smile and held out the amethyst and gold hilted letter opener.

I gave him an equally suspicious smile and cut open the letter.

Then nearly dropped it.

_"Dear Princess Rapunzel of Corona,_

_One year ago I sent you a letter of the most urgent importance. In this letter I warned you of a dark man who had a treacherous plan for both your kingdom and the one I call home. Also I warned you that you would meet a girl with black hair and silver eyes who would come to you for help._

_This girl is Elyse, Princess of the Gypsies._

_As you may have well suspected she has more than just a curse hanging over her head. Elyse and her cursed kindred have been hunted down one by one and captured- in wait of when all seven of these cursed women would be all together- with only the hope of Elyse to save them. Unfortunately this means that Elyse herself too had to be captured. Now that the terrorist King Fleischer has her in his clutches, it is time for the country of FaLeon to rise up against her evil King, and declare a civil war to save the people from King Fleischer's immortal grasp._

_Princess I beg for your tender mercy. I beg for the aid of an ally country who knows in it's heart that FaLeon cannot win alone._

_Elyse cannot win alone._

_Now the fate of my home sits with you. The very night you receive this letter, the Revolt of the FaLeonian People shall begin, and Elyse will be in the fray. We cannot hope to win against a tyrant with an army when we have mercenary renegades and farmers to retaliate with. This is where I beg for your help. I need you to supply us with a small amount troops and a few weapons so that our pathetic force will at least have a prayer of freeing our people._

_This is all I ask._

_With hope,  
><em>Reginald Xavier Fleinherzt Ditrich<br>Son of a Pauper, and Archduke of Greschoe, FaLeon"__

Eugene looked at me gravely, "That is horrible news."

"I know." I sighed and met Eugene's worried gaze, "But what do we do about it?"

"This Civil War is happening with or without us."

"Which is why I want to help."

Eugene gave me a small smile, "Even though the only real information in that letter is that FaLeon is collapsing and that the people don't like their King?"

"They need us Eugene." I stated firmly, hands on hips, "_That_ we know."

"Then we send soldiers and weapons to FaLeon?" Eugene queried

"Immediately."

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

Fleischer smiled in a way that made me even more nauseous when he saw how much I was panicking. How did I stand a chance when only a drop of what was in that vial would paralyze me completely in fiery agony?

Would I see Gabriel wherever I went to after death?

Maybe.

With a slow yet vicious wave of his hand, Fleischer grabbed my chin, "Ho un desiderio Poco Princess- si concede, non?"

_I have a wish Little Princess- you will grant it, will you not?_

Before I could stop myself, those deadly poisonous words just popped out, "N. Principesse non aiutano pastore ragazzi."

_No. Princesses do not help shepherd boys._

"Fare o vedere la tua cara Madre ondeggiare nel vento." Fleischer's eyes narrowed as he gestured with a moon washed, ruby bejeweled hand at the gallows.

_Do it or watch your dear Mother sway in the wind._

Fleischer turned my head so I could see Mother and I knew he would kill us all if even one of us didn't cooperate. My glowing silver eyes met those of my comrades and they nodded to me each in turn, knowing what was to come, and what we would end up having to do.

The wish would be granted.

"Fine." I growled back.

Four guards approached me from behind at some unseen signal and forced my arms so far behind my back that my muscles were straining to keep up. Shots of pain rampaged up my shoulders, through my neck, and to the very top of my head. One of the guards kicked my legs from underneath me and my knees hit the cobble harder than I would have ever liked them to.

"Sie sind ihrem Anführer." Fleischer whispered in some language that was completely beyond my range of cognizance, "Heute abend lernen Sie die wahre Kraft der Unsterblichkeit."

I smiled despite the pain, "I've only been a Princess for one- five thousandth of your Reign. So it's obvious that I haven't had as much study time."

I could hear off key giggles behind me accompanied by grumbles of pain. So maybe I wasn't the only one on my knees.

Fleischer turned from me and climbed the steps up to the gallows with his no doubt perfect boots going _chump, chump, chump,_ on the washed out wood. His red robes swished over the floor and Fleischer clasped his hands together in front of him, "Friends!"

Seven pairs of silver eyes narrowed in on Fleischer.

"It seems that I have spared all of you lives," he continued undeterred, "so it seems you are deeply indebted to me. But worry not! There is a plan forming in my mind to rid you of this debt."

Us Flowers only watched on in resentful silence.

"I will have but _one_ wish from you beautiful ladies."

_What?_ I wanted to scream, _What was so important that you planned for decades on how to get us all here and torture us?_

"But silly me all of this wont be appropriate without a song."

Then Fleischer sang out to us. The notes were so clean and crisp yet sad and haunting- it reminded me of when Gabriel sang for me that first night at Father's camp.

_"Flower of the moon_

_Shower me with light-_

_Award me one wish-_

_Please give me back my life._

_Ease the pains of time,_

_Grant the blind their sight,_

_Make one find true love,_

_Please give me back my life._

_Give back my life."_

I could feel the power of the full moon rise up behind my gift and amplify it times one thousand. Looking at Meredith I could see a silver glow start at the base of her hair and slowly drip down the rest, making it become a shimmery glowing sheet of silver. Her eyes which had been glowing dimly before were now emitting beams of beautiful light. All of the others were quickly following suit.

Faultlessly I could sense exactly what Fleischer wanted from us.

Nightmares.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for all of your tireless patience in me! I promise to be better about updating since I'm on break from school! With only a couple chapters left I will try very hard to finish before New Years! Plus I have decided to add an epilogue! Happy Holidays!<strong>


	20. Chapter 19 Borrowing Time

**A/N: WARNING. I suggest you all prepare yourself for quite the blow.**

* * *

><p><strong>*Reginald*<strong>

My men were fighting with a vigor in the dark night that almost scared me to watch. Their heavily muscled and armored arms were flashing all around the courtyard as they cut down the enemy with a vengeance to rival that of wild wolves protecting their territory. I almost chuckled at the thought.

This was _all_ of our territory.

An archer started to fire down on the men and I did what I do best and aim my own arrow at his jugular.

_Thwack_, he's done fighting.

The other archers in my group were scaling the walls to get the vantage point they needed to aid their comrades while I fired from behind the foot soldiers. They new I wouldn't ever hit them so even when my arrows whistled past their ear or ruffled their hair they ignored it and kept on struggling on. Across the courtyard I could see Gabriel's Uncle trying to organize a phalanx in the ciaos. Sure the rows of shields with spears lunging over the top and bottom would have been quite the feat to conquer. Except my men were doing quite the job of preventing them from forming even a three man phalanx.

"Atta boys! Fight!" I encouraged with vigor equal to their own.

Black shadows of arrows began to find their marks in the enemies ranks from above and I knew my archer were secure.

Leveling one of my own arrows I aimed at Captain and let it fly. He must have known it was coming because he dodged to the left. The arrow missed his heart but still managed to imbed itself into his left forearm in between the bones.

"Lucky little man." I smiled.

Elyse would be free tonight.

Of everything.

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

"How can you ask for nightmares?" I gasped and the others behind me were murmuring in equal shock and agreement with me.

"How?" Fleischer leveled his tundra frozen tawny eyes with mine and smirked letting my gift tell me everything I needed to know.

Fleischer wanted to give everyone nightmares. Well,_ plague_ the world with nightmares so strong that you could not tell they weren't real, so that every time a person fell asleep their worst fears would happen over and over and over relentlessly until the person either went insane or pledged alliance to Fleischer. But that wasn't all- Fleischer wanted to be able to turn the nightmares on or off for individual people at will.

No wonder he needed all of the Flowers at once- he was asking for a lot of power- power that a single Flower even on the best of full moons could not give. Not even two or three Flowers could.

I shuttered as the dark twisting nightmares fluttered across my eyelids.

A mother digging a grave for her newborn by hand.

Bears mauling a hunter and his wife in their sleep.

A child surviving the fire that badly burned them and killed their family.

Many more flashed before my eyes and I couldn't help but cover my eyes as they increased in how absolutely horrifying they were. Not that it helped to cover my eyes. If anything it made them feel more real and even more terrible.

"I won't do this." I whimpered and tried to block out the images by opening my eyes and looking up at the comfort of the moon.

A golden glow washed across my skin followed by Fleischer's favorite new sunny toy. This time he must have splashed half the fluid on me.

I shrieked impossibly louder than before with the sun searing my face, chest, and throat.

As the sun extract crept under my skin it reached above my heart and slowly burnt it's way through my muscles and bones like a hungry monster that had lava for hands.

"Elyse?" Mother whispered in alarm as I continued to scream on top of my lungs, "Elyse, honey?"

I had to stop screaming. Now. The others didn't need to know how much it hurt they would become to frightened. So I clamped my teeth together and settled for whimpers of pain despite the continuing agony.

"Take her over there." Fleischer sighed, "She just won't learn as quickly as some I'm afraid."

After the guards tossed me against a pillar to come down off the pain I heard a large blast from a not so distant part of the castle.

"We're under attack!" A tired guard huffed running up the corridor.

Mother took the opportunity to make a wish and just before she and the others disappeared Mother shouted "Go home, Elyse!"

So Mother knew the plan too.

Fleischer's troops appeared in the corridors and were making a desperate attempt to secure Fleischer before Reginald could burst through the defenses, "Take His High Majesty to the Strong Room as fast as you can!"

Fleischer was still staring at where Mother had been and was smiling in strange admiration and humor, "Good work Reginald."

"You Highness, come now." a soldier prodded.

With an odd accepting look, Fleischer nodded at his soldiers, "Kill Gabriel Hartman when he arrives as planned."

My Gabriel?

My Gabriel was already dead- wasn't he?

You couldn't get much more dead than a spear through the chest- honestly you couldn't.

Yet Gabriel wasn't a common name in FaLeon or Corona.

The sun extract interrupted my thoughts as it soaked into the tissues of my heart and made my pulse jump into overdrive. My blood felt like it was getting thicker as it tried to race through my veins.

No. I wasn't supposed to die like this! There had to be a way to stop my heart from stopping in it's feverish race to pump my charring blood through my veins.

Maybe if I could crawl into the moonlight...

Suddenly I hated my lavender dress. It would be almost impossible to crawl in across the twenty feet of shadows.

However I summoned up my strength as my body shook with each new miniature seizure that wracked my body from the burning ferocity on my heart and skin and forced my weak arms under me. Then I drew my legs up to move forward. With every muscle movement it felt like I was being lit on fire and the seizures were making it almost impossible to move. Locking my arms straight I began to crawl as fast as I could bare.

By the time I was halfway there my shaking arms were threatening to collapse.

Four feet from the edge of the moonlight I fell flat on my face. Digging at the cobbled ground of the courtyard, I desperately inched my way closer to the light as my heart threatened to burst. Suddenly the soldiers were screaming and rushing all around me as my body agonized in it's ever strengthening waves of fire. The battle was probably reaching the corridors to cause such ruckus.

Blackness tinged my vision as my heart started to skip beats causing my blood to stall then rush on painfully.

I reached out my hand to touch the light of the full moon.

Blackness engulfed me.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

The edges of my vision were tainted red as I sprinted down the dark corridor. Elyse was all I had left in this world and I wasn't going to let even the King take her from me.

Up ahead I could hear a battle going full swing in the Hangman's Courtyard. Mentally I kicked myself for stopping to talk to the General- I should have just kept going like I hadn't heard him- now Elyse was in the middle of a raging battle with no protective gear.

I reached the opening to the corridor that was open to the courtyard and ducked just in time to dodge a barrage of crossbow bolts. Once I cleared the surprise from my mind I crawled along behind the half wall that separated the corridor from the courtyard. There was a place where the half wall had a pillar jut out of it to hold corridor roof. That is where I raised my head above the wall to get a bearing on my surroundings.

My first impression of the battle was that it was going poorly for Reginald, but then I noticed his archers climbing the castle walls silently like assassins. Wow, they were good.

Ducking back behind the wall I crawled to the next pillar and stuck my head out just enough to see. Amid the commotion a piece of lavender caught my eye. Focusing harder I could just make out a prone feminine shape through the whirling bodies of the fifty or so men guarding the courtyard.

_Elyse._

Getting back below the wall I ran at a crouch around the corridor- which wrapped all the way around the courtyard with its half wall and pillar design- so I could get closer to Elyse before I tried to join the fray. On the side closes to Elyse the moonlight shone through until it was two inches from the top on my side of the half wall. About twenty feet away was the still form of Elyse, her fingertips just barely out of the shadows and in the moonlight, and her body frozen in an apparent struggle to reach the light.

Without a second thought I vaulted the wall and scooped up Elyse and headed for the corridor behind the gallows. Shouts roused up behind me and I could feel the men with crossbows aiming in between my shoulder blades.

They all missed.

I landed behind the half wall and crouched, laying the woman I loved down in the moonlight, and gently stroked her face, "Elyse?"

After a frightening second her eyes fluttered open. For another even more frightening second Elyse's gently glowing eyes were gold and unfocused but faded steadily to a clear silver. Once her eyes were their normal color they looked around nervously until they met my eyes and froze.

"Oh goose-nuggets." Elyse whispered and closed her eyes, "This can't be happening. No one puts a battle on time out for hallucinations- oh golly, I'm going to die."

"What on earth are you talking about, Princess con capelli d'argento?" hopefully that would convince her she wasn't dreaming.

If anything it had the opposite effect.

"Okay. You must be a ghost then." Elyse nodded to herself, "There is no way _my brain_ would be speaking gypsy _to myself_ as Gabriel."

Reaching out I stroked Elyse's pale face, "Ghost's don't carry people off of battlefields."

"I saw you die." Elyse pointed out quite plaintively.

"You saw me _almost_ die." I corrected with a small grin.

The light of recognition flickered on in Elyse's eyes before she scrunched her nose and said, "Must you always sound like a know-it-all?"

All I could do was grin like an idiot.

My Più fidati e amato was safe.

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

Gabriel.

His curly dark brown hair plastered to his head, his face covered in dirt and sweat, and he was once more wearing a FaLeon soldier's uniform.

But Gabriel was alive.

Relief hit me so hard it kicked the remaining sun out of my system and filled me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. All the air I seemed to have been collecting in my lungs since Gabriel died- was that why I was so tense?- all rushed out of my lungs at once. Secretly this was the happiest I had ever been about being wrong.

Slowly I sat up and Gabriel rocked back to give me some breathing room, "What a twisted mess."

"Yes this is a twisted mess." a familiar voice tisked from behind.

Gabriel spun around and hissed, "Uncle."

"That's _Captain_ to you, boy." the man snapped back, "Now stand out of the way, so I can finish this Flower once, and for all."

I took a good look at Captain. He had jet black short hair and a sturdy jaw to match his wide shoulders, but there was no way he had a single ounce of fat on his immaculate form. Captain must have been Gabriel's Father's younger brother to have such a great metabolism. Captain couldn't have been more than twenty five the way he looked.

Gabriel stood and drew a rather deadly looking blade from its sheath but left the swords twin at his side, "Her name is Elyse."

Captain drew his own sword. It was a little longer than Gabriel's own sword with a longer pommel so it could be wielded with both hands. The blade itself was about three inches wide and went straight out like a regular sword on one side, but was a saw on the other side. Gabriel rubbed a spot on his hip gingerly.

"So you remember her well." Captain sneered.

Gabriel smiled in a fierce way, "You won't remember this sword- I promise."

Captain crouched with his right foot forward and his left hand behind his back.

Gabriel crouched too, but his right foot was almost equal with his left and Gabriel's left hand was held out as if to help him hold his balance..

Then they just waited.

Both kept waiting for the other to make a move like two predators just waiting for the other to make a mistake.

Captain moved first. His right foot inched left and his torso became a smaller target. This was good enough for Gabriel and he closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, ramming his pommel into Captain's chest. The other man staggered back a step and swiped the saw side of his sword at Gabriel's exposed underarm.

Gabriel yelped in surprise and jumped back out of reach and looked at the red stain gathering on his shirt.

"Your right- I won't remember the sword of a dead man." Captain barked humorlessly.

Gabriel leaped forward and plunged his sword into Captain's exposed shoulder, then used the flat of his sword to smack the man's gloating expression from his face. Captain parried the second blow and slashed at Gabriel's abdomen. Gabriel dodged and continued to attack his former leader, slashing at his arms and legs.

With a movement hidden from my view, Captain suddenly had his sword at Gabriel's throat, "You are getting better Gabriel but don't forget that no matter how hard your Father tried he could never beat me. You are just a weak hearted as Adam and now you're as dead as him."

Gabriel swallowed compulsively. The same fear was in his eyes now as when I had last seen him- the fear he would lose everything.

Standing I began to slowly make my way over.

I knew what needed to happen.

"Don't try to be human Flower- you'll just die all the more painfully." Captain snarled not taking his eyes from Gabriel's exposed throat.

His words rolled off of me like rain against a window pane as I continued forward.

The tip of Captain's sword pressed against Gabriel's neck drawing a thin line of scarlet on it. Fear tried to make my determined progression halt but my heart beat against my fear driving it out.

"I _will_ kill him, little girl." Captain said, his angry voice tinged with the faintest hints of awe.

As I continued to walk on I gave him a small smile, "That is Princess con capelli d'argento to you, Snake."

Everything that happened next seemed like it was coming out of my head rather than happening for the first time.

Captain took his sword from Gabriel's neck and ran his sword through my abdomen with as much force as he could muster. Simultaneously Gabriel stabbed his uncle through the straps of his breastplate and on through his lung.

Captain's hands lost their grip on his sword and he staggered to the right before collapsing against the corridor wall.

"Elyse?"

Gabriel grabbed one of my arms with his gentle but rough hands and helped me rest against the half wall.

"You beat him." I tried to keep the pain from my voice but I guess it showed a little too plainly on my face.

"Only by losing you." those clear blue eyes became stormy grey as tears rolled down his cheeks freely, "I'd rather die than lose you."

"Either way one of us is dead." I giggled weakly and put my left hand into the moonlight.

"What are you doing?" Gabriel asked with the alarm he was trying to bury clear to my trained eyes.

Gesturing at the sword, I breathed just deeply enough to say, "Borrowing time."

* * *

><p><strong>I know this sucks but there <em>is<em> more to the story. There has to some sort of 'Oh my goodness' this late in Elyse's story and this is just how it happened to come about.  
><strong>

**Happy New Years!**


	21. Chapter 20 Gabriel's Wish

**Hey I know it's been a while since I dropped my last bomb- which no one really seemed that cut up about I'll be honest- so here goes round two followed by an atomic bomb and then the epilogue.**

* * *

><p>A thin film of water built up at the bottom Gabriel's now stormy eyes. His usually strong shoulders were trembling with the building sobs he was to suppress. Then Gabriel squared his shoulders and gripped my wrist harder.<p>

"You shouldn't have to die for me." Gabriel whispered his voice steadier, "We should have been able to live a long and happy life together with Cristiano and Dalia and Stephan. We should have gotten married and had kids and lived well into old age watching them raise our grand-kids." His voice kept getting steelier with rage, probably at how unfair this all was, "We could have been happy."

"Could?" my smile was strained with pain despite my best efforts to hide the agony I was in, "I am happy, Gabriel."

Gabriel's eyebrows pinched together, "But you're dying— this isn't how your story is supposed to end!"

"How do you know what my story ends like?" I asked gingerly and I put my hand softly on his cheek, "Gabriel, I have a family for the first time. Sure I'll never see them together or be able to have my first dinner with both of them, or have my Father give me away when I was to be getting married later on, but I can't let the light I see in you snuffed out."

"I have not family Elyse." Gabriel whispered in a choked voice, "You should have stabbed him while he killed me. No one will really miss me— no family to bury my remains, no one to really care except for one person."

He didn't say it but I knew he meant me.

In a voice so quiet and weak it would have scared me had it not been for the importance of what I was saying, I murmured, "Il mio più fidato e amato."

_My most trusted and loved._

Gabriel's tears finally spilled over and ran down my arm dripping off my elbow, "Tu sei il mio più fidato e amato troppo."

_You are my most trusted and loved too._

"Gabriel?" my voice was getting quieter and I cleared my throat and spoke a bit louder, "It would have been you."

Confusion colored his pain.

"Out of all the other men who were sort of clamoring for my attention, you were the only one I gave it too. I would have chosen you to keep forever."

Gabriel pressed his forehead against mine, "I know."

I laughed breathlessly.

"What could be so funny on your deathbed?" Gabriel asked incredulously, in a tone that was borderline whimpering.

"Your still sound like a know-it-all."

Gabriel smiled, well more like grimaced, and shook his head, "You've just been run through with a serrated sword by my _Uncle_ and you're focused on how my _voice _sounds."

"Prepare to be further astounded." I said, my supporting arm trembling from holding me up, "I want you to pull this thing out."

"No."

Gabriel's immediate and unwavering response almost made me rethink the request, "Yes, Gabriel."

"No, I— I won't do it."

"Then I'll do it myself." I warned in my weak voice.

"No— just leave it." Gabriel begged.

"No."

"Please, there's a chance you could survive on moonlight till morning and by then one of Reginald's medics could come and heal you!"

"When the moon sets I'll die Gabriel." I explained a bit of panic tingeing my voice before I got it back under control, "That and those medics will be busy with injured soldiers."

"You're more important."

I gripped the sword pommel, "Gabriel I said soldiersss." I stressed the _s_ so as to help him come to grips with what I was saying, "Soldiers who have families to get back to and wives to love. My life is not worth several soldiers."

"It is to me."

I began pulling on the sword and Gabriel raised a hand to stop me. Then he hesitated. Any attempt to stop me would cause more tissue damage and kill me faster.

Soon it became clear I couldn't pull out the sword with just the one hand. Still I painfully tugged at the jagged weapon hoping to get lucky.

Warm hands were placed over my cold blood covered ones and they tugged on the sword pulling it free of my body.

As soon as the sword was free I collapsed back onto the cobblestones, my face bathed in moonlight, and let my body cope with the agony. In comparison to the sun extract this was nothing but it still made me moan and want to crawl into a dark hole and die. Well the dying part would happen anyways no matter where I went now so I might as well lay still and enjoy my last hour of moonlight. And life.

Unless Reginald…

No. This was the way things had to be.

"Thank. You." I gasped.

"Watching you try to pull it out was worse than… getting it over with." Gabriel grimaced.

"You."

"What?"

"Will you sing for me?"

Gabriel attempted to chuckle but his voice cracked with strain, "Now?"

"Yes."

"Well," Gabriel held one of my hands in his hands and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumbs, "what do you want me to sing, La mia Luna?"

_My Luna._

Comming from anyone else the moniker would offend me. From Gabriel though it felt like a completely natural endearment. Like my power wasn't a curse but the gift my Mother made it out to be.

Several songs flitted through my head. The complicated ones I ruled out imeadiately because there was no way Gabriel could sing them in his current state of distress. Simpler ones came to mind before I remebered.

"You know which one." I whispered as steadily as possible and gave him a pointed look, "It's the Full Moon Gabriel."

"How could I forget? You're glowing still."

I could tell he was avoiding what I had asked him, "Gabriel."

"I don't _want_ anything, Elyse." Gabriel insisted with a bit of alarm creeping into his voice.

"You do."

"But—," Gabriel stared.

"Find something please. I don't want my gift to go utterly to waste before I die."

Gabriel looked taken aback at the calm way I said this but soon nodded and began. However he put a little twist in it:

"_Fiore della luna,_

_Doccia me con la luce,_

_Premio me un desiderio,_

_Per favore dammi indietro la mia vita._

_Facilità i dolori del tempo,_

_Concedere ai ciechi la vista,_

_Fare un trovare il vero amore,_

_Per favore dammi indietro la mia vita._

_Dare indietro la mia vita."_

The Song of the Flowers sounded a little awkward in the language of the gypsies— or FaLeonian Raffaello had told me— but it excited my powers and made me glow all the stronger.

Suddenly it was like I could truly see through Gabriel's eyes. The desperation of my pending death. The crushing wave of grief that was held at bay soley because I was still alive. In spite of my request Gabriel couldn't bring himself to really make a wish.

_I can't bring her back once she's dead._

With magic I knew it was completely possible to bring a newly-dead being back to life but refrained from saying anything.

_Maybe I could heal her? No... I've been cut by this sword before— there is no real cure for it but time— which she doesn't have._

Even with a gaping hole in my midsection where the sword had been I knew that this too was entirely possible.

_I could at least get her out of Fleischer's castle. No, then I'll lose him too when she dies._

That was probably true.

_I could... have something to remember her by when she's... gone._

Gabriel's thought were becomming harder to understand as he became more distressed and as the sun came ever closer to shinning.

"Quick, quick, make a wishful wish, for in the morning I'm gone." I whisper so softly I can't tell if he's heard me or not.

Just before the first rays of morning pop over the horizon Gabriel wishes. Just for something to remind him of me. With seconds to spare I grant the wish.

Then sunlight catches my face.

And I die.

* * *

><p><strong>bStormhands:<strong> I'm doing what most people call Tabboo- killing off my main character.

**dreaminsaphire:** Well that whole thing with Gabriel being killed will be explained in a bit- no worries.

**Caroline Lilly-ann Youla:** thanks for the advice. Sometimes I get really excited when writing a battle scene and force myself to slow down so as not to become incomprehensible but I guess I need to learn the line of action without the long sentences while still making sense.


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p><strong>*Gabriel*<strong>

"That's why Mommy isn't ever around." I explained painfully as I finished the story then looked down at the little black haired bundle of life that was my six year old daughter— also the wish Elyse had granted just before sunrise— Layla, "She died so we could have a better future."

"You loved Mommy a lot, huh, Daddy?" Layla asked in her mildly know it all voice that was also so kind and gentle.

I scooped up my little girl, "Yes, I won't love anyone else like that."

"I love you Daddy." Layla whispered and cuddled into the crook of my neck.

She was too young to understand the whole story, but I knew that she needed to know the truth, "I love you too, il mio piccolo Fiore."

_My little Flower._

Layla's unmistakably silver eyes opened and gave me a smiley giggle before kissing my cheek, "You're pokey."

That's right I had forgotten to shave this morning.

"Sorry."

Layla didn't really care though. She actualy kind of liked it when I was 'pokey' because it tickled her nose.

Setting Layla back down I picked some nearby wild bluebells and placed them on Elyse's grave. They were one of Layla's favorite too I guess because she placed a little bluebell she had picked herself next to the ones I had placed.

Tuning around I looked at the meadow that Elyse had escaped into the river from that first night of the story. Carved from the boulder Elyse had hidden behind was a sculptuer of a single flower in the hands of a long haired smiling angel. The inscription below made me choke up every time.

"_Beloved Mother, Daughter, and_

_Most trusted and loved, who gave_

_Her all to a dream._"

I had cried when Cristiano and Roxanne had shown the statue to me. While it had agitated the freshly made holes in my heart it also had brought on something else.

Closure.

There hadn't been a body to burry when Elyse died. When sunrise had come over the horizon Elyse seemed to disolve into a fine silver powder leaving our beautiful little girl behind. At first I felt cheated that I wouldn't even be able to get her out of Fleischer's Castle— or what used to be his castle— to rest somewhere peaceful. Then I realized that this statue was proof that she was somewhere peaceful.

As I continued to gaze calmly out at the meadow I saw a pale woman in a sky blue dress leaning against a tree maybe fourty feet from Layla and I. Even from through the distance I could make out the silver eyes that acompanied her heart shaped face.

"Roxanne?" I called out beckoning her foreward with my right hand.

After a brief hesitation she stepped forward and made her way over to Layla and I.

As Roxanne got closer I realized her face was completely free of the wrinkles that had crinkled the corners of her eyes and mouth the last time I had seen her, "You look much younger today."

"If only that were true."

Her voice hit me just like the spear the night we were separated, "Elyse?"

* * *

><p><strong>*Elyse*<strong>

At the sound of my voice Gabriel flinched.

Gabriel's hair was shorter, darker, and a little more curly than I remember. His jaw stronger. Those shoulders that I thought had been wide with muscle before were now downright powerful. A shadow of a beard sprawling across his jawline.

"Elyse?"

His voice was physically pained and it caused the longing in my heart for the man I had been forced from six years ago to throb in simpathy. How did you say 'I'm not dead after all, sorry for the false alarm— by the way I want back into your life,'?

I chose my next words carefully.

"You saw me _almost_ die." I repeated the words he had told me the last night we had been together when I thought he was a ghost.

Confusion crossed his face before recognition set in and I looked away.

A second pair of silver eyes met mine, searching my face.

"She's beautiful." I whispered as I looked at my daughter.

The silver eyes hid behind her Father's leg before cautiously peering back out. After our daughter gave Gabriel a questioning look she took a cautious step forward.

My daughter was wearing a yellow springtime dress with with laceing. Her soft ebony black hair plaited back in a braid that ended just below her shoulder blades. Searching I saw her face was already showing hints of the heart shape that was genetic in her lineage. It struck me that the shape of her mouth, her delicate ears, and chin looked exactly like mine when I was child.

But her eye shape, the slight upturn of her nosetip, and the caution she now displayed were all from Gabriel.

"What's her name?" I barely choked out as a well of emotions erupted in my chest.

"Layla." Gabriel whispered back.

"Mommy?"

My heart felt as if it had suddenly bloomed. Almost like my heart had only capable of a small amount of love but now it felt like my heart was too big for my chest. Reaching out to touch each horizon with it's tremulous petals.

"Yes sweatheart?"

"Daddy said you were dead."

It almost felt like an acusation to both he and I.

"Did he lie?"

"No. Daddy thought I died because I didn't tell him I wouldn't have."

Gabriel's eyes snapped to my face, "You knew?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the anger and hurt in his voice stomped down on my newly grown heart.

"How do you say— dear I know this looks bad but I'm only going to technically die at sunrise and am going to come back?" My eyes stared down at his feet refusing to meet his glare head on.

"You could have said _something_." Gabriel snapped back, "Instead of leaving me alone thinking you were gone and would never come back."

"Reginald told me that if I told you, Gabriel, you would have gone after Fleischer yourself." I finally met Gabriel's blue eyes which despite the anger had a hint of surprise and a small bit of something else.

Acceptance.

"Yes I would have."

"And died."

This made Gabriel stop and think. So we just stood there silently while Layla and I watched Gabriel sort out everything in his head and heart.

A minute went by.

Then another.

Finally he spoke up, "Probably."

I stepped forward and Gabriel held open his arms. With a smile I knew was his alone I jumped into Gabriel's more than capable arms and let some of my pent up emotion drip from eyes and down my face onto his neck.

Without hesitation I told my più fidato e amato everything. How when my mother had first become a flower she had granted Reginald three wishes.

First that he would age more slowly until Roxanne wasn't hunted anymore so he could protect her— about three regular years to his one.

Second to give Roxanne, Charity, Ileana, and Adele some sort of warning system that would allow them to avoid sunlight at any time of the year.

Last that none of the four existing flowers could be killed by Fleischer and those who were loyal to him.

Then I told Gabriel how I had granted the third wish again on my trip back up to the castle, so that it covered me too, not knowing it would also benefit Meredith and Brystol as well. I continued on about the sun extract that Fleischer had thrown on me and how it must have delayed my coming back.

"So I didn't die." I finished and noticed two sets of arms around me— one around my back and the other smaller pair around my hips.

"Daddy understands, Mommy." Layla mumbled into my side.

Gabriel nodded once and kissed my cheek.

Tension ebbed out of me and my heart reached out again but this time I could feel two other hearts reaching out and grabbing hold of my own.

"So you won't mind if I say I want to come home?"

"Only if it's with us." Gabriel murmured in my ear.

"Please come home with us, Mommy?" Layla begged looking up at me, our silver eyes meeting once more.

With tears still in my eyes I knelt down and hugged my daughter, "Of course."

Gabriel knelt with me and wrapped his arms around his family.

We were like that for a few silent happy moments before Layla squiggled out to show me the flowers they had laid on my statue. Bubbly little giggles burst from her as I took the one she had picked for me and placed it in her hair.

"Fleischer is dead." Gabriel whispered softly enough so as to keep Layla from hearing.

I nodded, "That is the first thing I learned when I came back."

Gabriel started to fill me in as Layla ran around showing me all the flowers in the meadow— some of which had made up names like Spring Fell, a tall drooping yellow flower I knew was called a Sunflower— and naming them as she went.

Reginald was king of Faleon. He was also the well thought out godfather of little Layla.

Cristiano had taken up permanent residence in Corona a few miles outside the island with my Mother and the rest of the Gypsies. They came and visited my statue often with Layla but didn't want to distract Layla this time when Gabriel told her my story.

Raffaello had gotten married to a nice girl from Faleon named Meredith. Who just so happened to be five years his junior and a kindly Flower that had been wished into his life that night at Fleischer's castle. Now he had a beautiful daughter and a son on the way.

Barbaro was probably the happiest horse a certain six year old girl could ever had inherited.

Dalia and Stephan couldn't be happier that they had two beautiful grandchildren. They too came to visit my grave on occasion.

The rest of the Flowers were living easily and making life easier and more full of love for everyone they would meet that needed their help.

Princess Rapunzel her husband had come to Reginald's aid in the war against Fleischer— who died by pure happenstance in an unplanned siege on a duke's castle outside Faleon's capital— and secured the freedom of the country. When it came time for Rapunzel and Eugene to be coroneted King and Queen not one single person in either Corona or Faleon had an objection to it. On that day the purple and gold of the Corona flag, and the silver and black of the Faleon flag, flew together. The countries had been close allies ever since.

Layla came up to me with her right hand behind her back and held her other arm up. Gabriel started to object that she was too heavy for me but I scooped my daughter in my arms and she placed a white rose in my hair.

Yawning tiredly from a long day of travel and excitement, Layla laid her head against the crook of my neck, "You're staying with me and Daddy forever, right Mommy?"

Without hesitating, "Yes, Luna."

Gabriel leaned forward and kissed me.

"Well," I began with a smile, "I'm glad I finally got that first kiss that says so much about a couple."

"I admit it's overdue."

"Mommy that's gross." Layla complained tiredly.

As naturally as the sun rotating around the earth, Gabriel put his left arm around me and smiled like I had been made to fit there perfectly.

While I agreed I would probably never admit that it was me who was made to fit him.

We were made to fit each other.

"So you promise to stay this time?" Gabriel asked in a noticeably less know-it-all voice than the one I heard last.

I loved both voices.

My heart beat as every part of Gabriel was held out to me. Body, mind, and soul all waiting to see if I would return the grasp for a companion.

"Forever."

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to everyone who reviewed and helped me along this whole story. Even through the up and downs and the long pauses.<strong>

**Special thanks to:**

Caroline Lily-ann Youla

dreaminsapphire

PampleMousse07

LucidChocolate

LittleMissMia123

ArishaSmile

sheep1215

zukofan2005

Hedgi

and Jane Hawthorn

**I saw in the reviews that some of you wondered if I had other stories. While yes I do have other stories, 'Forever' is my onl****y Tangled Fanfic.**

**My other stories come from:**

**Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

**Twilight**

**The Hunger Games**

**If you want to, read them- they are awesome too**.


	23. Sequel Possibility

So, I know it has been a while.

I just thought it would only be fair to tell you guys that as of today I have been seriously considering writing a sequel to "Forever".

I've narrowed down the topics I would **_possibly_** like to write about:

The six years in between Elyse's almost death and return.

The adventure of a certain sunny young man to win the heart of Elyse's daughter Layla.

Now I don't want to get your hopes up, I might not write a sequel at all, especially considering I'm currently in the middle of another fanfic for the Hunger Games.

Like I said before I've only been **_considering_** a sequel.

But I can't shake the Tangled up and mildly confusing feeling inside that I want to keep the Elyse story going.

Until next time,

Claire Thomas

PS: If anyone (or no one) wants me to keep the story going, please let me know in reviews. It's no fun, for me anyway, to write a story no one is going to ever read.

I just want some feedback on yay, nay or clang ("the idea is stupid and you know it" *hits upside head with frying pan*).


End file.
